L  I  E>  RAR.Y 

OF   THE 

U  N  I  VERSITY 
OF    ILLINOIS 


ILLINOIS  HISTORICAL  SURKET 


A,°_«    o^^r-^o:rM~o>-r=^>vo  X"j    ,»  ^rr-^ar-r-  •-^'SSs.o  A>    r\  Q/Z^. 


HISTORY 


OF  THE 


115T     REGIMENT   ILLINOIS 
VOLUNTEER  INFANTRY 


BY 


ISAAC  HENRY  CLAY  ROYSE,  LL.  B. 

LATE  SECOND  LIEUTENANT  COMPANY  E 


ILLUSTRATED 


EDITION  LIMITED  TO  500  COPIES 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  AUTHOR 

WITH 

AUTHORITY  OF  THE  REGIMENTAL  ASSOCIATION 

TERRE  HAUTE,  IND. 

1900 


Copyright,  1900, 
By  I.  H.  C.  Royse. 


Linotype  and  Press  of 

Windsor  &  Kenfleld  Publishing  Co., 

Chicago. 


PREFACE. 


Many  of  the  survivors  of  the  H5th  Regiment  Illinois  Volun- 
teers had  long  wished  for  something  in  the  way  of  a  perma- 
iS"  nent    record    of    the    organization,    campaigns,  battles    and 
'.    achievements  of  the  old  regiment.     A  regimental  association 
TX  had  been  formed  as  early  as  1876,  and  frequent  reunions  had 
been  held  at  which  the  subject  of  a  regimental  history  had 
been  as  frequently  discussed.     Several  unsuccessful  attempts 
had  been  made  to  secure  a  committee  that  would  undertake 
the  task.    Finally,  at  the  reunion  held  at  Decatur,  111.,  in- 1894, 
after  much  solicitation  on  the  part  of  the  members  of  the  regi- 
mental association,  and  assurances  of  the  hearty  co-operation 
of  all,  the  writer,  in  an  unguarded  moment,  consented  to  un- 
dertake the  work.     Had  he  then  realized,  even  in  a  moderate 
degree,  the  difficulties   to  be  overcome,   and   the  labor  re- 
quired to  collect  the  material  and  prepare  such  a  history,  no 
amount  of  persuasion  could  have  induced  him  to  make  the 
^attempt. 

An  earnest  effort  was  made  to  get  the  addresses  of  all  the 
..  survivors  of  the  regiment  and  to  secure  from  them  personal 
/•  incidents,  anecdotes,  accounts  of  the  special  service  of  indi- 
p^vi duals  and  companies  and  other  facts  of  interest.     The  sur- 
vivors of  the  regiment  were  also  urged  to  furnish  biographical 
1  "sketches  and  invited  to  send  their  portraits.     These  requests 
jmet  with  a  very  liberal  response,  as  the  numerous  sketches 
'^  and  portraits  of  our  comrades  will  testify,  but  it  is  a  matter 
^t  of  sincere  regret  to  the  author  and  to  all  interested  in  the 
history,  that  so  many  are  necessarily  omitted  from  this  part 
of  the  book. 

Free  use  has  been  made  of  all  material  received.  In  order 
to  avoid  repetition  of  the  same  general  facts  and  incidents 
it  has  been  deemed  best  to  incorporate  in  the  general  narra- 
the  statements  of  many  individuals,  rather  than  to  insert 


iv  PREFACE. 

them  as  separate  narratives.  Therefore  the  several  accounts 
of  marches,  campaigns,  and  battles  that  would  in  the  main  be 
applicable  to  the  entire  regiment,  have  been  incorporated  in 
the  general  history  of  the  regiment.  Any  other  course  would 
have  made  the  work  too  bulky  and  too  costly.  For  the  same 
reason  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  very  greatly  condense 
many  of  the  sketches  that  are  printed  separately.  For  taking 
such  liberties  the  pardon  of  all  concerned  is  most  earnestly 
sought.  No  other  course  seemed  possible  under  the  circum- 
stances. In  making  selections  the  author  has  used  his  best 
judgment,  all  the  time  striving  to  be  entirely  impartial  and 
perfectly  just  to  all.  Among  the  several  companies  he  has 
done  what  he  could  to  give  equal  and  exact  justice  to  all.  If 
more  space  is  given  to  some  than  to  others  the  reason  is  that 
the  comrades  of  those  companies  responded  more  freely  than 
did  the  others.  Necessarily  the  author's  own  personal  ob- 
servation and  knowledge  were  limited,  although  he  was  with 
the  regiment  nearly  all  the  time  from  the  beginning  to  the  end. 

It  was  impossible  for  the  author  to  have  personal  knowledge 
of  the  many  interesting  occurences  in  the  companies  other 
than  his  own,  and  if  such  incidents  have  not  been  supplied  him 
he  should  not  be  censured  for  their  omission.  If  he  has 
seemed  to  give  more  prominence  to  his  own  company  it  is  not 
because  he  wished  to  do  so,  but  because  he  had  more  perfect 
knowledge  of  that  company. 

The  biographical  sketches  have  been  compiled  from  infor- 
mation furnished  by  the  comrades  and  their  friends.  In  some 
instances  they  appear  in  the  language  furnished,  while  in 
others  they  have  been  rewritten,  enlarged  from  other  sources, 
or  condensed  as  seemed  proper. 

The  writer  has  not  only  drawn  freely  from  the  sketches  and 
correspondence  of  the  members  of  the  regiment,  but  has 
made  fre<t  use  of  the  Century  War  Papers  and  other  histories 
within  his  reach.  He  has  made  as  diligent  study  as  his  time 
would  permit  of  the  original  reports  and  correspondence 
bearing  on  the  operations  of  the  armies  of  which  the  H5th 
was  a  part,  and  has  made  a  conscientious  effort  to  state  the 
facts.  Aided  by  several  visits  to  the  battle-field  of  Chicka- 


PREFACE.  v 

mauga  and  a  careful  study  of  the  ground  in  connection  with 
the  official  reports  of  the  operations  of  the  various  divisions 
and  brigades  engaged,  he  has  given  an  extended  account  of 
that  great  conflict.  His  only  apology  for  giving  so  much 
space  to  that  one  battle  and  to  the  operations  of  other  com- 
mands, is  that  it  seemed  necessary  to  do  so  in  order  to  show 
the  true  value  of  the  services  of  the  ii5th  on  that  occasion. 

The  author  desires  to  acknowledge  the  very  valuable  assist- 
ance rendered  him  by  very  many  of  the  members  of  the  regi- 
ment and  their  families.  To  all  who  have  contributed  in  any 
way  to  the  success  of  the  undertaking,  he  extends  his  most 
hearty  thanks.  Maj.  F.  L.  Hays  and  Adjt.  Allen  Litsenberger, 
respectively  president  and  secretary  of  the  regimental  associa- 
tion, have  been  particularly  helpful.  Sergt.  A.  B.  Leeper  of 
Company  A,  Sergts.  E.  H.  Martin  and  Finley  Behymer  of 
Company  B,  Thomas  Stone  and  George  W.  Rhodes  of  Com- 
pany C,  William  Tyson  of  Company  D,  Robert  Bivans  and  J. 
M.  Waddle  of  Company  E,  Capt.  Z.  C.  Patten  and  Lieut.  S.  K. 
Hatfield  of  Company  H,  are  all  deserving  of  special  mention 
in  this  connection.  The  author  is  greatly  indebted  to  Judge 
G.  S.  Robinson  for  his  journal  of  the  campaigns  of  the  H5th, 
to  Cyrus  M.  Imboden  for  his  "Eight  Months'  Service",  to 
Lieut.  J.  C.  Youngken  for  a  history  of  the  movements  of  Com- 
pany C,  to  Maj.  Samuel  Hymer  for  a  history  of  Company  D, 
to  Capt.  Jno.  W.  Dove  for  a  sketch  of  the  service  of  Com- 
pany G,  and  to  Captain  Rutherford,  Company  I,  and  Captain 
Slocum,  Company  B,  for  similar  records  of  their  companies, 
from  all  of  which  the  author  has  drawn  freely  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  history. 

He  also  desires  to  thank  Capt.  W.  H.  Newlin,  author  of 
the  history  of  the  73d  Illinois  Volunteers,  for  valuable  informa- 
tion from  the  office  of  the  Adjutant-General  of  Illinois,  and 
to  make  proper  acknowledgment  to  the  Robert  Clark  Co.  of 
Cincinnati,  which  kindly  furnished  the  maps  and  illustrations 
appearing  on  pages  86.  90,  98,  100,  106,  114,  118,  122,  178  and 
182. 

The  author  makes  no  claim  to  literary  merit  for  the  work. 
The  only  purpose  has  been  to  present  in  a  simple  manner 


vi  PREFACE. 

such  a  narrative  of  facts  as  would  show  in  some  degree  the 
real  character  of  the  services  of  the  regiment,  and  put  in  a 
permanent  form  the  record  of  its  achievements.  When  it  is 
remembered  that  his  work  has  been  done  at  odd  moments  and 
in  the  evenings  between  days  devoted  to  business  and  pro- 
fessional work,  without  any  hope  of  pecuniary  reward,  his 
critics  will  be  disposed  to  be  lenient,  and  perhaps  overlook 
imperfections  that  would  otherwise  receive  attention.  He  has 
tried  to  be  impartial  and  to  make  his  work  as  nearly  correct  as 
possible  in  its  statements,  yet  he  feels  conscious  of  many  im- 
perfections, and  doubtless  the  reader  will  find  many  errors, 
possibly  some  that  may  seem  inexcusable.  All  that  is  asked 
in  such  cases  is  that  the  reader  will  make  his  own  corrections 
and  bear  in  mind  that  it  is  much  easier  to  see  errors  after  the 
thing  is  done  than  to  avoid  them  in  dong  it. 

I.  H.  C.  ROYSE. 
Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  July,  1900. 


CONTENTS. 

Chapter —  Page. 

I.     INTRODUCTORY  i 

II.     EARLY  PART  OF  THE  WAR 6 

III.  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  iisTH  ILLINOIS 13 

IV.  THE  JOURNEY  TO  RICHMOND,  KY 27 

V.     MARCHES  IN  KENTUCKY  AND  TENNESSEE....  40 

VI.     AT  NASHVILLE  AND  FRANKLIN 54 

VII.     FRANKLIN   TO  TULLAHOMA 69 

VIII.     CHICKAMAUGA  CAMPAIGN 84 

IX.     BATTLE  OF  CHICKAMAUGA 97 

X.     SUNDAY,  SEPTEMBER  2oTH 112 

XI.  REPORTS  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  CHICKAMAUGA.  139 

XII.     AFTER  THE  BATTLE  OF  CHICKAMAUGA 162 

XIII.  CHATTANOOGA  TO  MISSIONARY  RIDGE 175 

XIV.  SHELL  MOUND  TO  BLUE  SPRINGS t88 

XV.     BLUE  SPRINGS  TO  RESACA 199 

XVI.     ATLANTA  AND  AFTER 212 

XVII.     OPERATIONS  IN  TENNESSEE 228 

XVIII.     NASHVILLE  AND  AFTER 236 

XIX.     THE  LAST  OF  OUR  SERVICE 249 

APPENDIX. 
SPECIAL  ARTICLES  257 

Sergeant  Shively — Chickamauga  and  Siege  of  Chattanooga — 
Closing  Scenes  of  the  Battle  of  Chickamauga — Special 
Service  of  Company  G — Battle  of  Nashville  and  Pursuit 
of  Hood — Colonel  Poteet's  Recollections  of  the  Battle  of 
Chickamauga — In  Rebel  Hands — Southern  Prisons — Pris- 
on Life — Experience  of  Robert  Young — In  Southern  Pris- 
ons— Company  D  at  Buzzard  Roost — The  Attack  on  the 
Blockhouse — Capture  of  the  Ferry-Boat — Special  Service 
of  Company  H — The  Pioneer  Corps — Thomas  J.  Chas- 
tain's  Scare. 

ROSTER 288 

BURIED   IN   NATIONAL  CEMETERIES 405 


HISTORY  OF  THE  115™  ILLINOIS 
VOLUNTEERS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


INTRODUCTORY. 

The  1 1 5th  Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  was  a 
part  of  the  country's  patriotic  response  to  President  Lincoln's 
calls  for  six  hundred  thousand  more  men  in  the  midsummer  of 
1862.  The  great  American  Civil  War  had  been  in  progress 
more  than  fifteen  months  and  the  talk  of  a  "sixty  days  cam- 
paign," a  mere  "breakfast  spell,"  was  no  longer  heard.  We 
shall  better  understand  these  two  calls  for  more  men,  each 
for  three  hundred  thousand,  one  quickly  following  the  other, 
by  a  brief  review  of  the  preceding  events  and  of  the  causes 
leading  up  to  them.  We  must  know  something  of  the  circum- 
stances attending  the  breaking  out  of  so  gigantic  a  war,  as  well 
as  a  little  about  the  cause  of  it. 

As  to  the  cause,  the  explanation  is  given  in  a  single  word, 
Slavery.  The  institution  of  human  slavery  was  planted  in  our 
Southern  States  soon  after  the  first  settlement  of  the  country. 
It  had  grown  and  spread  so  rapidly,  and  attained  such  power, 
that  very  early  in  the  I9th  century  its  influence  was  felt  in 
every  part  of  the  land.  It  had  become  a  sort  of  despotism  in 
both  church  and  state.  No  one  had  the  right  to  question  its 
legitimacy,  and  anyone  who  dared  to  make  the  least  criticism 
of  the  system  was  an  abolitionist  and  not  to  be  permitted  to 
live  in  the  favored  South.  The  friends  of  slavery  were  not 
content  with  being  let  alone.  They  had  always  controlled  all 
parties  in  politics,  and  determined  at  all  hazards  to  continue 
to  do  so.  This  could  be  done  only  by  extending  the  "sacred" 


2  THE  FIRST  OPPOSITION. 

institution  into  the  new  territories.  For  that  purpose  the 
Mexican  War  was  brought  on ;  in  that  interest  the  national 
domain  extended.  Slavery  was  already  established  in  Texas. 
The  next  step  was  to  take  it  to  the  broad,  rich  plains  to  the 
west  of  the  Missouri.  The  interests  of  the  slave  power  were 
superior  to  all  others.  The  new  states  must  yield  to  its 
authority,  whatever  the  cost  of  blood  or  treasure.  Even  the 
North  was  expected  to  obey  its  commands.  Amazing  as  it 
may  seem  at  this  day,  nearly  all  of  the  politicians  of  the 
North  were  afraid  to  say  a  word  against  it.  The  slave  interests 
had  controlled  the  nomination  and  election  of  every  President 
for  many  years,  and  it  was  a  common  saying  that,  "The  Presi- 
dent must  be  either  a  Southern  man,  or  a  Northern  man  with 
Southern  principles." 

The  first  real  opposition  to  the  rule  of  the  slave  power  was 
manifested  in  1854  in  the  effort  to  check  the  extension  of 
slavery  into  the  new  territories  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  The 
North  had  just  begun  to  realize  the  danger  of  further  submis- 
sion ;  the  arrogance  of  the  Southern  politicians  was  beyond 
endurance.  The  organization  of  the  Republican  party  followed 
in  1855-6.  It  was  pledged  to  the  doctrines:  No  extension  of 
slavery  and  free  labor  for  the  new  territories.  So  rapidly  did 
the  movement  extend  and  so  popular  were  these  sentiments, 
that  the  young  party  came  surprisingly  near  carrying  the 
presidential  election  in  1856.  The  slave  party  was  aroused 
and  the  denunciation  of  everything  Northern  was  heard  in 
all  parts  of  the  South  ;  all  who  did  not  bow  down  before  the  god 
Slavery  were  denounced  as  abolitionists,  and  threats  of  seces- 
sion soon  followed.  All  departments  of  the  Government  were 
used  to  further  the  ends  of  slavery.  The  people  of  the  North 
looked  upon  the  threats  of  the  Southern  politicians  as  merely 
a  means  of  continuing  themselves  in  power.  Very  few  be- 
lieved that  the  "fire  eaters"  could  drag  their  States  into  actual 
hostilities ;  no  real  rebellion  was  thought  possible.  However, 
the  Southern  people  were  rapidly  becoming  more  and  more 
united  in  their  devotion  to  the  "sacred  institution"  and  the 
South  was  becoming  more  and  more  domineering,  while  public 
sentiment  in  the  North  was  rapidly  crystallizing  around  the 


LINCOLN  ELECTED.  3 

central  ideas  of  the  supremacy  of  the  Union,  and  of  free 
thought,  free  speech  and  a  free  press.  In  the  presidential  cam- 
paign of  1860,  the  Calhoun-Yancey  type  of  Southern  leaders 
used  all  the  means  in  their  power  to  commit  the  South  to 
some  plan  of  secession  in  event  a  Republican  should  be  elected. 
By  appeals  to  passion  and  prejudice,  and  in  all  possible  ways 
they  sought  to  prepare  the  Southern  mind  for  such  action. 
They  had  determined  never  to  submit  to  the  rule  of  a  Republi- 
can President,  however  fair  his  election  or  however  large  his 
majority. 

The  election  of  November  6,  1860,  insuring  the  choice  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  as  President,  put  them  to  the  test,  and  the 
loyalty  of  the  Southern  people  as  well.  While  many  in  the 
North  sympathized  with  the  South,  there  were  very  many 
true  Union  men  in  the  Southland.  Excitement  ran  high  in 
all  the  Southern  States ;  the  lines  were  soon  drawn,  and  the 
leaders  called  upon  all  to  show  their  colors.  Those  accus- 
tomed to  ruling  North  and  South  alike,  as  with  a  rod  of  iron, 
did  not  stop  at  the  manner  of  carrying  their  purpose.  In  many 
localities  it  was  made  dangerous  for  the  man  who  dared  to 
stand  by  the  Union.  As  early  as  December  20,  1860,  a  little 
more  than  a  month  after  the  result  was  known.  South  Carolina, 
in  a  convention  called  for  the  purpose,  passed  an  ordinance  of 
secession.  Six  other  states,  Mississippi,  Florida,  Alabama, 
Georgia,  Louisiana  and  Texas,  quickly  followed  with  similar 
action.  . 

On  the  4th  of  February  following,  on  the  invitation  of  South 
Carolina,  delegates  from  these  seven  states  assembled  at  Mont- 
gomery, Ala.,  to  organize  a  Southern  Confederacy.  Four 
days  later  a  constitution  was  adopted,  and  the  day  following 
Jefferson  Davis  was  elected  President  of  the  Confederate 
States  of  America,  and  on  the  iStli  entered  upon  the  duties  of 
his  office.  Thus,  the  rebellious  government  was  organized 
and  in  operation  fourteen  days  before  it  was  possible  for 
President  Lincoln  to  perform  any  official  act.  Virginia,  North 
Carolina,  Tennessee  and  Arkansas  joined  the  Confederacy  a 
little  later,  being  driven  into  the  movement  by  the  leaders 
rather  than  going  of  the  free  will  of  the  people.  Strong  efforts 


4  THE  CONFEDERACY  ORGANIZED. 

were  made  to  carry  with  them  the  border-states,  Maryland, 
Kentucky  and  Missouri,  but  without  success. 

The  military  spirit  prevailed  in  the  South  to  a  much  greater 
extent  than  in  the  North.  In  the  South  free  schools  were  un- 
known, and  academies  and  private  schools  afforded  the  only 
means  of  obtaining  an  education.  This  gave  the  military 
academy  an  excellent  field ;  the  pride  of  every  town  and  village 
was  its  military  company.  In  some  states,  as  in  Virginia,  the 
entire  militia — all  able  bodied  men  between  18  and  45 — was 
enrolled  and  required  to  assemble  for  drill  and  muster  at  least 
once  or  twice  a  year.  In  the  North  the  free  school  had  dis- 
placed the  private  school  and  academy,  and  there  was  but 
little  demand  for  the  military  school.  There  were  no  slaves  to 
monopolize  the  labor  market  and  the  people  regarded  labor 
as  honorable ;  the  men  of  the  North  were  occupied  at  work  and 
business,  and  had  little  time  to  spare  for  military  matters.  It 
is  therefore  not  surprising  that  the  Southerners  were  boastful 
of  their  military  superiority ;  they  doubtless  really  thought 
that  "one  Southern  man  could  whip  three  Yankees".  The 
entire  winter  following  the  election  of  President  Lincoln  was 
occupied  throughout  the  Southern  states  in  promoting  the  war 
spirit.  Military  companies  were  organized  in  every  part  of  the 
land,  and  musters  and  drills  were  the  regular  order  of  the  day. 

The  War  and  Navy  Departments  of  the  United  States 
Government  encouraged  these  preparations,  their  chiefs  being 
in  hearty  sympathy  with  the  cause.  As  far  as  possible,  the 
army  and  navy  were  so  distributed  as  to  be  the  least  hindrance 
and  of  the  greatest  advantage  to  the  South.  The  army  had 
been  sent  to  the  far  frontier  in  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Utah  and 
other  parts  of  the  far  West,  and  there  were  no  troops  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  capital.  The  navy  was  scattered  in  distant 
parts  of  the  world.  What  munitions  of  war  the  nation  pos- 
sessed were  largely  in  the  forts  in  the  Southern  states,  con- 
venient for  use  by  them. 

The  disloyal  states  did  not  wait  for  the  inauguration  of  the 
hated  Lincoln,  but  early  in  the  year,  while  their  friends  were  in 
office,  began  seizing  the  forts  and  military  stores  within  their 
borders.  About  the  time  that  Jefferson  Davis  was  inaugurated 


SEIZURE  OF  UNITED  STATES  FORTS.  5 

President  of  the  Confederacy  at  Montgomery,  the  Texas 
Rangers  were  taking  possession  of  the  United  States  forts  and 
arms  in  that  state,  most  disgracefully  surrendered  by  General 
Twigg,  the  officer  in  charge.  By  the  4th  of  March  all  the 
United  States  forts  and  arsenals  in  the  seceding  states,  except- 
ing only  Forts  Moultrie,  Sumter,  Pickens  and  Monroe,  had 
been  seized  by  the  rebels.  A  majority  of  the  cabinet  and 
many  members  of  Congress  were  either  avowed  secessionists 
or  in  sympathy  with  the  cause.  During  all  these  preparations 
the  people  of  the  North  remained  passive,  hoping  that  with  the 
inauguration  of  Mr.  Lincoln  the  storm  would  blow  over  and 
the  threatened  disruption  of  the  country  be  averted  without 
the  loss  of  blood.  While  the  South  was  so  active  in  military 
affairs  the  North  continued  in  its  peaceful  pursuits.  All  hoped 
for  peace ;  some  advocated  peace  at  any  price,  saying,  "Let 
the  wayward  sisters  go."  President  Buchanan  declared  there 
was  no  constitutional  authority  for  coercing  the  states  to  re- 
main in  the  Union.  In  this  gloomy  condition  of  the  country 
Abraham  Lincoln  entered  upon  his  duties  as  President,  with 
firmness  for  the  right,  and  a  quiet  determination  that  the  laws 
should  be  enforced.  The  new  President  earnestly  tried  to  show 
the  Southern  people  that  justice  would  be  done  them  and  all 
their  rights  respected. 


CHAPTER   II. 


EARLY  PART  OF  THE  WAR. 
/ 

On  the  1 2th  of  April  actual  hostilities  were  begun  by  the 
Confederate  forces,  under  General  Beauregard,  firing  on  the 
garrison  of  Fort  Sumter,  commanded  by  Maj.  Robert  Ander- 
son. A  terrible  bombardment  followed  and  in  less  than  two 
days  the  garrison  capitulated,  leaving  the  fort  in  ruins.  The 
telegraph  flashed  the  news  to  all  parts  of  the  country  and  the 
slumbering  patriotism  of  the  North  was  aroused.  Flags  went 
up  over  many  public  and  private  buildings ;  public  meetings 
were  held  and  patriotic  addresses  delivered.  April  i5th  the 
President  issued  a  proclamation  calling  for  75,000  volunteers 
to  serve  three  months.  The  free  states  responded  with  re- 
markable promptness,  and  in  a  few  days  thousands  of  men  in 
excess  of  the  call  offered  themselves.  Very  soon  the  border- 
land was  lined  with  military  camps ;  the  military  spirit  was  no 
longer  confined  to  the  South.  An  army  was  soon  assembled 
in  Washington,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  May  crossed  the  Poto- 
mac and  occupied  Alexandria,  Va.  Another  force  under  Gen. 
B.  F.  Butler,  occupied  Fortress  Monroe.  About  the  same  time 
General  McClernand  occupied  Cario,  111.,  and  Gen.  Nathaniel 
Lyon  organized  a  force  at  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

About  June  ist,  Gen.  T.  A.  Morris  entered  West  Virginia 
with  a  brigade  of  Indiana  Volunteers,  and  on  the  3d  defeated 
1,000  Confederates  at  Philipi.  In  the  latter  part  of  June  Maj. 
Gen.  George  B.  McClellan  assumed  command  of  the  army  in 
West  Virginia,  and  on  July  nth  a  brigade  of  his  force,  under 
Gen.  W.  S.  Rosecrans,  fought  the  battle  of  Rich  Mountain, 
defeating  about  1,000  rebels  under  Colonel  Pegram  and  cap- 
turing the  remnant  of  them  two  days  later.  These  operations 
were  heralded  over  the  country  as  great  victories,  entitling 


FIRST  BATTLES.  7 

General  McClellan  to  the  first  rank  in  the  command  of  our 
armies.  We  now  know  they  were  little  more  than  skirmishes. 
In  the  meantime  General  Patterson  occupied  the  vicinity  of 
Harper's  Ferry  with  18,000  men  opposed  by  the  distinguished 
Confederate  leaders,  Gens.  Joseph  E.  Johnston  and  Thomas 
J.  (Stonewall)  Jackson,  with  a  similar  force.  General  Lyon 
had  driven  the  rebels  from  the  suburbs  of  St.  Louis  to  the 
southwestern  part  of  the  State,  and  a  loyal  state  government 
was  established  in  the  place  of  that  under  the  rebel  Gov.  C.  F. 
Jackson.  The  Confederates  had  occupied  Columbus,  Ky.,  and 
the  neighboring  towns  with  a  strong  force  under  General 
Pillow.  The  Confederate  capital  had  been  established  at 
Richmond,  Va.,  and  General  Beauregard  was  assembling  a 
rebel  army  in  northern  Virginia,  threatening  Washington. 

In  obedience  to  the  authority  of  Congress  and  the  Presi- 
dent's call,  many  thousands  of  volunteers  were  marching  to 
the  front.  The  resources  of  the  Government  had  been  taxed 
to  their  fullest  capacity  in  bringing  into  the  field,  equipping 
and  arming  these  large  bodies  of  men.  It  took  time  to  equip 
such  an  army,  but  to  the  civilian,  McDowell's  army  of  35,000 
men  seemed  to  have  been  wasting  time  at  Alexandria  and  Ar- 
lington. The  country  'was  impatient  at  the  slow  progress ; 
politicians  and  editors  thought  the  war  a  breakfast  spell.  In 
their  view,  sixty  or  ninety  days  would  suffice  to  bring  the  rebels 
to  terms.  The  cry,  "On  to  Richmond,"  was  heard  on  every 
hand.  The  army  was  composed  of  raw,  undisciplined  volun- 
teers, many  of  them  three  months  men  whose  terms  were 
about  to  expire ;  their  officers,  with  few  exceptions,  were 
equally  ignorant  of  the  art  of  war.  Though  so  poorly  prepared 
for  battle,  General  McDowell  was  forced  to  the  front. 

He  met  the  enemy  under  General  Beauregard  at  Bull  Run 
on  July  2ist,  and  a  hotly  contested  battle  followed.  At  one 
time  Beauregard  thought  himself  defeated  and  began  planning 
his  retreat,  but  General  Johnston  had  slipped  away  from  our 
General  Patterson  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley  and  came  to  the 
relief  of  the  hard  pressed  Confederates  with  several  thousand 
fresh  troops.  The  tide  of  battle  turned  and  the  Union  army 
was  routed.  Thus  the  first  considerable  battle  of  the  war  was  a 


8  APPEARANCE  OF  GRANT. 

disaster  to  the  National  arms.  The  Confederates  were  greatly 
elated  and  many,  who  had  hesitated,  now  boldly  espoused  the 
rebel  cause.  The  friends  of  the  Union  were  at  first  depressed, 
but  realizing  that  a  war  was  upon  them,  and  better  appreciating 
the  magnitude  of  the  undertaking,  their  patriotism  was  greatly 
stimulated  and  a  new  impetus  given  to  the  enlistment  of  men 
throughout  the  North.  Congress  immediately  authorized  a 
call  for  500,000  volunteers,  and  appropriated  $500,000,000  for 
their  support.  "Organize"  and  "drill"  were  the  watchwords  in 
all  parts  of  the  land.  Major-General  McClellan  was  called  to 
the  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  with  great 
pomp  and  display,  he  entered  upon  the  difficult  task.  Being 
really  a  fine  organizer  and  disciplinarian,  and  having  great 
resources  at  his  disposal  he  soon  had  a  magnificent  army  in 
position  along  the  Potomac  facing  Richmond.  The  people 
shouted,  "On  to  Richmond,"  but  the  daily  report  for  many 
months  was,  "All  quiet  on  the  Potomac." 

On  the  loth  of  August  Generals  Price  and  McCullough,  hav- 
ing resumed  the  offensive,  met  Gen.  Nathaniel  Lyon  at  Wil- 
son's Creek  near  Springfield,  Mo.  A  spirited  battle  followed, 
resulting  in  the  defeat  of  the  Union  forces  and  the  death  of  the 
gallant  General  Lyon.  The  Union  army  retreated  to  Rolla  and 
the  victorious  rebels  reoccnpied  central  Missouri,  capturing 
Lexington  after  a  gallant  defense  by  Colonel  Mulligan.  Gen. 
John  C.  Freemont,  now  in  command  of  the  Army  of  the  West, 
finally  came  to  the  rescue,  but  not  in  time  to  prevent  the  escape 
of  the  rebels  to  the  southern  line  of  the  State. 

About,  this  time  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant  was  beginning  to  attract 
attention.  He  had  shown  ability  in  the  organization  of  the 
Illinois  Volunteers.  He  conducted  an  expedition  down  the 
Mississippi  and  captured  Belmont,  nearly  opposite  Columbus, 
Ky.,  but  was  compelled  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat  with  some  loss. 
Kentucky  reluctantly  saw  her  neutrality  slipping  away.  Gen. 
Robert  Anderson,  in  recognition  of  his  services  at  Fort  Sumter, 
had  been  given  the  command  of  the  Federal  army  in  Kentucky. 
Many  regiments  of  Kentucky  volunteers  were  organized  to 
do  valliant  work  for  the  Union.  At  the  same  time  the  rebels 
were  making  the  most  possible  of  the  "dark  and  bloody 


THE  WINTER  OF  1862.  9 

ground."  Bowling  Green  and  other  points  in  southern  Ken- 
tucky were  occupied,  and  many  dashing  young  Kentuckians 
entered  the  rebel  service.  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman  succeeded  to 
the  command  of  the  army  in  Kentucky,  but  soon  lost  it  under 
the  charge  of  insanity,  because  he  reported  that  200,000  men 
would  be  required  tor  a  successful  campaign.  Gen.  Don  Carlos 
Buell  then  assumed  command,  with  Gen.  George  H.  Thomas 
as  second.  In  November  Gen.  H.  W.  Halleck  succeeded 
General  Freemont  in  command  of  the  Western  armies,  with 
headquarters  at  St.  Louis.  The  year  closed  with  the  Union 
army  numbering  650,000  men,  occupying  the  lines  from  the 
Potomac  under  McClellan,  through  northern  Virginia,  West 
Virginia  and  Kentucky,  to  the  southern  line  of  Missouri. 

The  opening  of  1862  found  General  McClellan  with  his 
splendid  army,  lying  quietly  on  the  Potomac,  where  he  re- 
mained all  winter  drilling  and  organizing  it.  In  his  front,  near 
the  old  Bull  Run  battle-field,  was  Joe  Johnston  with  a  smaller 
force,  occupied  in  a  similar  manner.  Gen.  Albert  Sydney 
Johnston,  the  most  prominent  Confederate  officer  in  the  West, 
was  operating  in  Kentucky  with  headquarters  at  Bowling 
Green.  General  Buell  in  his  front,  was  actively  pushing  the 
enemy.  General  Garfield  defeated  a  Confederate  force  under 
Humphrey  Marshall,  at  Prestonburg  on  January  loth,  and 
Gen.  George  H.  Thomas  on  the  9th  defeated  General  Zolli- 
coffer's  army  of  about  12,000  men  at  Mill  Spring,  Zollicoffer 
himself  being  among  the  slain. 

Early  in  February  General  Grant  moved  up  the  Tennessee 
River  with  an  army  of  17,000  men,  and  on  the  6th  captured 
Fort  Henry,  and  on  the  i6th  compelled  the  surrender  of  the 
rebel  stronghold,  Fort  Donelson  on  the  Cumberland,  with  all 
its  arms  and  stores  and  15,000  men.  This  compelled  General 
Johnston  to  abandon  Nashville  and  take  up  a  new  line  on  the 
Memphis  &  Charleston  R.  R.  and  left  the  Union  forces  in  pos- 
session of  all  of  Kentucky  and  central  Tennessee.  The  Con- 
federates were  still  in  possession  of  New  Madrid,  Mo.,  and 
Island  No.  10,  but  on  March  3d  General  Pope  moved  against 
them  with  20,000  men  well  equipped.  .  Supported  by  Com- 
modore Foote  and  a  fleet  of  gunboats,  General  Pope  sue- 


10  THE  WAR  IN  THE  EAST. 

ceeded  in  cutting  off  the  retreat  of  the  enemy,  and  on  April 
8th  captured  the  entire  force  of  7,000  men.  After  the  capture 
of  Fort  Donelson  General  Grant  moved  to  the  south  and  took 
a  position  on  the  Tennessee  River  near  Pittsburg  Landing. 
General  Mitchell,  with  a  division,  seized  Huntsville,  Decatur 
and  Bridgeport,  in  Alabama.  General  Buell  was  ordered  to 
support  General  Grant  with  37,000  men  from  Bowling  Green 
and  Nashville.  Gen.  A.  S.  Johnston  was  at  the  same  time 
concentrating  a  very  large  Confederate  force  at  Corinth,  Miss., 
General  Beauregard  being  second  in  command. 

On  April  6th  the  two  armies  met  at  Shiloh  Church,  or  Pitts- 
burg  Landing,  and  a  desperate  struggle,  lasting  two  days,  fol- 
lowed. General  Johnston  was  killed.  The  Union  forces,  badly 
beaten  on  the  first  day,  were  greatly  strengthened  on  the 
second  by  the  arrival  of  General  Buell's  Army  of  the  Ohio, 
and  the  Confederate  troops  were  forced  from  the  field.  The 
losses  were  nearly  equal,  ten  or  twelve  thousand  on  each  side. 
The  Confederates,  now  under  Beauregard,  retired  to  Corinth 
where  a  stand  was  made  till  the  last  of  May,  when  that  place 
also  fell  into  the  hands  of  General  Grant.  Fort  Pillow  was 
abandoned,  Memphis  surrendered,  and  the  Mississippi  was 
opened  to  the  Union  fleet  nearly  to  Vicksburg. 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  spent  many  months  getting 
ready  for  action,  but  no  event  of  importance  had  occurred,  ex- 
cept the  disaster  at  Ball's  Bluff  in  the  latter  part  of  October. 
Gen.  T.  J.  Jackson  was  in  command  of  the  Shenandoah  Val- 
ley, while  Gen.  Joe  Johnston  commanded  the  Army  of  North- 
ern Virginia.  General  McClellan,  still  in  command  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac,  early  in  April  transported  the  flower  of  his 
army  to  Fortress  Monroe  and  began  his  celebrated  Peninsular 
campaign.  On  May  3d  he  captured  Yorktown,  after  a  siege 
lasting  a  month.  The  Confederates  made  their  next  stand^at 
Fort  Magruder  and  Williamsburg,  inflicting  upon  us  a  loss 
of  two  thousand  or  more  men,  while  they  lost  nearly  as  many 
and  continued  their  retreat.  McClellan  continued  his  march 
"on  to  Richmond".  Johnston  had  an  army  of  about  90,000 
men  and  McClellan  about  the  same  number,  but  Johnston  had 
all  the  advantages  of  position.  On  May  3ist,  Longstreet  and 


BRAGG'S  KENTUCKY  RAID.  11 

Hill  met  McClellan  in  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  with  much 
loss  on  both  sides  and  little  gain  to  either.  A  short  rest  fol- 
lowed. General  Johnston  having  been  wounded,  Gen.  R.  E. 
Lee  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  Confederate  armies. 
General  McClellan  was  busy  reorganizing  his  forces,  while 
General  Lee  strengthened  his  by  calling  Stonewall  Jackson 
from  the  Shenandoah  Valley  with  30,000  men.  From  June 
26th  to  July  2d  was  fought  the  seven  days  battle  from  Gaine's 
Mill  to  Malvern  Hill.  One  position  after  another  was  taken 
by  the  Confederates,  until  at  the  close,  our  army  was  back  on 
the  James  River  below  Malvern  Hill.  The  victorious  Confed- 
erates suffered  the  greater  loss,  a  total  of  18,000  men,  while  our 
loss  was  about  16,000. 

In  the  latter  part  of  June,  1862,  Halleck's  Western  army 
numbered  nearly  150,000  men,  the  greater  part  being  in  the 
vicinity  of  Corinth,  while  General  Mitchell  occupied  Decatur, 
Huntsville  and  Bridgeport,  in  Alabama,  and  General  Morgan, 
Cumberland  Gap,  Tenn.  All  north  of  these  lines  was  in  our 
possession.  In  July  General  Halleck  was  called  to  the  supremt 
command  of  the  armies  at  Washington,  and  General  Grant 
succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  Armies  of  the  Tennessee  and 
Mississippi.  General  Buell  had  command  of  the  Army  of  the 
Ohio  and  General  Rosecrans  had  succeeded  General  Pope, 
who  had  been  transferred  to  Virginia.  In  the  meantime  Beau- 
regard  and  Bragg  had  an  army  of  over  100,000  men  posted 
south  of  Corinth,  Vicksburg,  Jackson,  Chattanooga  and  Knox- 
ville. 

Buell  attempted  a  movement  on  Chattanooga  and  East  Ten- 
nessee, but  almost  before  he  had  started  Bragg  was  moving 
northward  through  Chattanooga  with  an  army  of  more  than 
35,000  men,  with  Louisville  on  the  Ohio  as  his  objective  point. 
When  Buell  was  advised  of  Bragg's  plans  he  hastily  turned 
northward  with  the  hope  of  intercepting  his  adversary.  The 
two  movements  became  a  race  for  the  Kentucky  metropolis 
and  it  was  very  doubtful  which  would  reach  that  point  first.  In 
the  meantime  Kirby  Smith  had  turned  Cumberland  Gap  and 
was  marching  into  central  Kentucky.  The  Confederates  had 
again  become  very  aggressive  both  in  the  East  and  in  the 


12  CALLS  FOR  VOLUNTEERS. 

West ;  in  fact,  an  invasion  of  the  North  was  seriously  threat- 
ened. The  people  of  the  North  began  at  last  to  realize  that 
they  were  engaged  in  a  great  civil  war.  They  had  learned  by 
sad  experience  to  appreciate  the  strength  and  bravery  of  the 
armies  of  the  South.  Even  the  politicians  who  had  expected 
to  suppress  the  rebellion  and  conquer  the  South  in  ninety  days 
had,  in  a  measure,  come  to  their  senses.  A  feeling  of  real 
earnestness  had  taken  possession  of  the  people.  They  had 
learned  to  see  the  true  character  of  the  task  before  them.  Their 
patriotism  was  aroused  to  the  highest  degree.  The  call  of 
President  Lincoln  early  in  July,  1862,  for  300,000  volunteers, 
quickly  followed  by  a  call  for  300,000  more,  was  truly  a  call  to 
patriotism.  It  appealed  to  the  business  man,  the  professional 
man,  the  merchant,  the  mechanic,  the  teacher  and  the  farmer. 
The  idle  and  adventurous  classes  who  could  be  induced  to  go 
to  war  had  already  gone.  The  later  calls  came  to  men  of  homes 
and  families  who  loved  the  quiet  of  their  firesides  to  go  forth  in 
defense  of  home  and  country ;  to  men  who  had  much  to  sacri- 
fice. The  answer  came  quickly  and  with  enthusiasm,  and  the 
cry  ran  through  all  the  North,  "We  are  coming,  Father  Abra- 
ham, 600,000  strong."  All  classes  responded  and  the  men 
came  from  the  farm,  the  factory,  the  office,  the  schoolroom 
and  even  from  the  pulpit.  Many  left  lucrative  positions  and 
prosperous  business  enterprises  to  accept  a  place  in  the  ranks 
at  $13.00  per  month.  Public  meetings  were  held  and  patriotic 
addresses  made  in  every  town  and  village.  The  flag  floated 
over  many  public  and  private  buildings.  Companies  and  regi- 
ments came  forth  as  by  magic.  In  the  midst  of  their  harvests 
farmers  stopped  their  machines  and  laid  down  their  implements 
to  go  to  the  recruiting  rally,  and  there  enlist  for  "three  years 
or  during  the  war."  Lawyers  left  their  cases  untried,  mer- 
chants left  their  customers  to  be  waited  on  by  others,  preachers 
left  their  congregations  or  took  them  along  so  far  as  they 
could,  to  join  the  Union  hosts. 


CHAPTER  III. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  iisTH  ILLINOIS. 

In  such  times  and  amid  such  scenes  the  H5th  Regiment  of 
Illinois  Volunteers  began  its  career.  It  is  hard  to  tell  just 
when  or  where  the  first  steps  were  taken.  Squads  and  com- 
panies were  formed  in  many  places  at  the  same  time ;  yet, 
probably  the  real  beginning  was  at  a  great  patriotic  rally  at 
Decatur  in  July,  very  soon  after  the  President's  call  was  issued, 
when  the  city  was  filled  with  people  from  all  the  surrounding 
country.  Among  those  prominent  in  the  movement  was  Rev. 
Jesse  H.  Moore,  then  pastor  of  the  First  Methodist  Church  at 
Decatur.  Nathan  W.  Tupper,  a  prominent  and  popular  lawyer 
of  Decatur,  had  been  urged  to  take  command  of  a  Macon 
County  regiment,  but  declined  to  do  so  because  of  a  promise 
made  to  his  brother  when  he  went  to  the  field  in  the  41  st 
Illinois  Regiment,  that  if  he  should  be  disabled  or  slain  his 
family  should  be  properly  supported.  This  brother  having 
given  up  his  life  for  his  country,  Nathan  Tupper  felt  that  his 
first  duty  was  to  make  good  that  pledge.  The  citizens  then 
turned  to  Mr.  Moore  and,  after  much  solicitation,  he  was  in- 
duced to  take  the  lead  in  the  organization  of  a  regiment.  After 
agreeing  to  undertake  it  he  was  not  slow  in  entering  upon  the 
work.  In  the  meantime  the  admirers  of  Mr.  Tupper  persisted 
in  their  determination  to  have  him  command  a  regiment ;  sev- 
eral companies  then  forming  preferred  him  for  their  colonel. 
He  was  assured  by  men  of  means  that  if  he  would  consent  to 
their  plans,  not  only  his  pledge  to  his  brother  would  be  re- 
deemed by  them,  but  that  if  he  should  be  disabled  or  killed, 
they  would  see  that  his  family  was  well  cared  for.  The  pres- 
sure was  too  great,  and  Nathan  W.  Tupper  became  the  colonel 


14  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

of  the  n6th  Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  instead  of 
one  regiment,  two  were  raised.  The  n6th  was  for  the  most 
part  from  Macon  County,  as  were  two  companies  of  the  H5th. 

How  our  ten  companies  were  drawn  together,  the  writer  is 
unable  to  say.  They  came  from  eight  different  counties,  and 
as  many  different  parts  of  the  state,  yet  they  were  composed 
of  men  of  the  same  classes,  each  company  having  much  in  its 
composition  that  was  common  to  all  the  others.  In  religion, 
the  Methodist  Church  predominated  to  such  an  extent  that  we 
were  sometimes  called  the  "Second  Methodist  Regiment,"  the 
73d  Illinois  being  known  as  the  first.  Like  the  73d,  it  was 
noted  for  the  number  of  Methodist  preachers  on  its  rolls  of 
officers  and  men,  there  being  several  of  them  besides  the 
colonel. 

In  nationality  the  regiment  was  almost  entirely  American, 
though  it  contained  a  few  Irishmen  and  a  few  Germans.  As  to 
occupation,  the  farmers  were  greatly  in  the  lead,  though  we 
had  many  school  teachers,  merchants,  clerks,  mechanics  and 
shop  men.  They  were  men  of  character  and  among  the  best 
in  their  several  communities.  Though  only  a  few  were  per- 
mitted to  fill  official  positions,  there  were  many  men  in  the 
ranks  who  were  capable  of  filling  any  position  in  the  regiment. 
The  several  companies  were  all  organized  in  August,  1862, 
most  of  the  men  being  enlisted  between  the  6th  and  2Oth  of 
that  month.  The  following  sketches  of  the  organization  of  the 
several  companies  were  compiled  from  letters  and  contribu- 
tions from  members  of  the  various  companies,  and  such  other 
information  as  the  writer  has  been  able  to  get.  In  some  cases 
the  information  obtained  was  very  meagre,  leaving  him  to 
guess  at  the  facts ;  he  has  made  the  best  use  of  the  facts  ob- 
tainable. If  the  sketches  are  not  satisfactory  to  the  comrades 
they  must  take  the  censure. 

Company  A  was  organized  early  in  August  at  Taylorville,  111. 
Capt.  John  W.  Lapham,  Lieut.  Arthur  C.  Bankson,  and  Lieut. 
Jesse  Hanon  were  the  leading  spirits  in  the  work,  though 
ably  and  earnestly  assisted  by  Sergeants  Gore,  Hammer,  Jones 
and  others.  It  was  mostly  made  up  of  the  sturdy  farmers  of 
Christian  County.  The  writer  regrets  that  he  is  unable  to  give 


Brevet  Bri£.=Gen'l  Jesse  H.  Moore, 
Colonel  116th  111.  Vols. 


COMPANY  ORGANIZATIONS.  15 

the  details  of  the  making  up  of  this  gallant  company  and  its 
transfer  to  Camp  Butler.  They  have  not  been  furnished  to  him 
and  his  personal  knowledge  was  limited. 

Company  B  came  from  the  adjoining  county  of  Shelby,  and 
was  recruited  about  the  same  time  as  all  the  other  companies, 
in  the  first  half  of  August.  Lieut.  George  A.  Poteet  of  the  i/j-th 
Illinois  Volunteers  was  home  on  leave  of  absence  on  account 
of  wounds  received  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  Having  sufficiently 
recovered  to  engage  in  the  recruiting  service  he  obtained  au- 
thority to  raise  a  company.  In  this  he  was  efficiently  assisted  by 
Eleazer  Slocum,  E.  D.  Steen,  E.  K.  Schwartz,  Finley  Behymer 
and  others,  all  prominent  young  men  of  Shelbyville.  On  the 
9th  of  August  the  organization  was  completed  by  the  election 
of  George  A.  Poteet  as  captain,  Eleazer  Slocum  as  first  lieu- 
tenant, and  E.  D.  Steen  second  lieutenant.  The  next  few  days 
were  spent  at  home  getting  ready  for  the  long  absence.  Plans 
had  been  suddenly  changed ;  the  school-teacher  had  to  turn 
over  his  charge  to  the  trustees ;  the  farmer  must  give  instruc- 
tions as  to  the  disposition  of  the  crops.  Who  can  appreciate 
how  busy  those  days  were?  On  the  I2th  the  company  re- 
assembled at  Shelbyville  to  take  the  train  for  Camp  Butler. 
The  city  was  crowded  with  the  friends  of  the  new  soldiers, 
come  to  bid  them  farewell.  The  trip  to  the  camp  on  the  San- 
gamon  River  was  quickly  made  ;  then  came  the  bustle  of  draw- 
ing camp  equipage  and  setting  up  tents  and  fixing  for  camp 
life.  The  boys  had  the  experience  of  preparing  their  own 
meals  without  the  convenience  of  mother's  kitchen  and  pantry. 
A  fruit  can  for  a  coffee  pot,  unground  coffee  without  a  coffee 
mill,  and  other  equally  important  things  lacking,  made  the 
work  of  the  new  cook  anything  but  delightful  pastime.  This 
company  was  given  a  place  near  the  73rd  Illinois,  commanded 
by  Col.  J.  F.  Jacquess,  with  the  expectation  that  it  would  form 
a  part  of  that  "Preacher  Regiment."  Because  of  some  disa- 
greements as  to  its  position,  the  company  was  soon  removed 
to  another  part  of  the  camp,  where  it  soon  became  the  nucleus 
of  a  new  regiment  that  later  received  the  number  115.  Very 
soon  other  companies  joined  it  and  its  history  became  that  of 
the  regiment. 


16  COMPANY  ORGANIZATIONS. 

Company  C  was  the  product  of  Wabash  County  and  vicinity 
down  in  the  valley  of  the  river  of  that  name,  nearly  opposite 
the  celebrated  Posey  County  of  Indiana.  David  Williams,  a 
merchant  of  Friendsville,  had  received  a  commission  to  raise  a 
company,  and  on  the  ist  of  August  began  the  work  in  great 
earnest.  In  this  he  had  a  number  of  excellent  assistants,  the 
most  prominent  being  John  W.  Hill  of"  Bridgeport,  and  Eph- 
raim  Kingery  of  Mier.  The  first  three  to  enlist  were  S.  W. 
McConnell,  W.  J.  Litherland  and  Joseph  Shearer,  who  entered 
the  lists  on  the  first  day.  The  company  gained  rapidly  from 
that  on  and  soon  had  its  full  complement.  As  with  the  other 
companies,  C's  men  came  from  the  shops,  stores,  farms,  schools 
and  college  halls,  representing  the  best  citizenship  in  the  land. 
There  could  be  no  truer  men  nor  more  loyal  citizens.  They 
were  moved  by  no  spasmodic  sentiment,  but  by  a  deep  and  fer- 
vent love  for  home  and  native  land.  At  the  request  of  Captain 
Williams  the  members  of  the  company  assembled  at  Olney  on 
August  22d  and  organized,  by  electing  David  Williams,  of 
Friendsville,  as  captain,  Ephraim  Kingery  of  Mier,  first  lieuten- 
ant, and  Gideon  L.  Utter  of  New  Hope,  second  lieutenant, — 
all  of  Wabash  County.  But  a  few  days  were  spent  at  Olney : 
one  of  them  being  Sunday  the  company  attended  church  in  a 
body  and  heard  an  inspiring  sermon  by  the  Rev.  John  Crozier 
on  the  text,  "Acquit  yourselves  like  men ;  be  strong  and  fight". 
A  few  days  later  the  company  took  position  with  the  other  com- 
panies of  the  1 1 5th  at  Camp  Butler.  Captain  Williams  was  a 
well  known  business  man,  highly  respected  for  his  even  temper, 
kindness  of  heart  and  faithfulness  to  duty.  He  naturally  won 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  his  superiors  as  well  as  of  his 
men.  Lieutenant  Kingery  had  been  a  miller,  and  though  not 
so  well  known,  his  character  was  such  as  to  win  the  esteem 
of  all  who  knew  him.  Lieutenant  Utter  was  the  social  good  fel- 
low of  the  company.  Of  course  it  was  not  long  until  he  was 
well  known  in  the  regiment. 

Company  D  was  made  up  in  an  opposite  portion  of  the  State, 
being  mostly  recruited  in  Bainbridge  and  Frederick  Town- 
ships in  Schuyler  County.  Rev.  Stephen  M.  Huckstep,  Chris- 
tian C.  Bridgewater.  Luther  M.  Hobart  and  Seth  Farwell  were 


COMPANY  ORGANIZATIONS.  17 

the  leaders  in  the  work  of  recruiting  the  company,  each  draw- 
ing to  it  a  squad  or  detachment  of  men,  which,  when  united, 
constituted  this  splendid  company.  Nearly  all  were  native 
Americans  and  residents  of  Schuyler  County.  Nearly  all  of 
them  were  farmers  and  as  Major  Hymer  says,  "Of  the  right 
kind  of  material  to  make  good  soldiers." 

Their  subsequent  history  proved  this  to  be  true.  On  coming 
together  for  organization,  Rev.  S.  M.  Huckstep  was  chosen 
captain,  Christian  C.  Bridgewater,  first  lieutenant,  and  Samuel 
Hymer,  second  lieutenant.  Hymer  was  one  of  the  last  to  join 
the  company,  but  he  had  lived  in  the  county  from  boyhood, 
and  was  well  and  favorably  known  to  nearly  all  the  men.  He 
was  greatly  surprised  at  his  election,  as  he  had  not  sought  the 
place.  Luther  M.  Hobart,  to  whom  much  credit  is  due  for 
his  work  in  making  up  the  company,  accepted  a  position  as  ser- 
geant, which  he  filled  with  great  credit  until  he  was  promoted 
to  be  hospital  steward.  The  incidents  of  recruiting,  attending 
the  rallies,  listening  to  patriotic  oratory,  parting  from  friends, 
and  "starting  for  the  war,"  were  doubtless  much  the  same  as 
with  other  companies.  On  the  I5th  of  August  the  company 
arrived  at  Camp  Butler  and  soon  became  a  part  of  the  ii5th 
Regiment. 

Company  E,  though  mainly  from  Macon  County,  contained 
a  number  of  men  from  Christian  County  and  a  few  from  other 
counties.  The  company  was  organized  at  the  village  of  Macon, 
in  Macon  County,  August  13,  1862.  The  work  of  recruiting 
was  commenced  nearly  two  weeks  earlier  by  Rev.  John  M. 
Lane,  Joseph  Q.  Adams  and  I.  H.  C.  Royse.  Hand-bills  an- 
nounced public  meetings  at  the  various  school-houses.  Mr. 
Lane  and  Mr.  Adams  both  being  detained  at  home  most  of  the 
time  by  private  business  were  thus  prevented  from  taking  an 
active  part  in  recruiting.  For  that  reason  most  of  the  work  of 
enlisting  the  men  of  the  company  was  done  by  Mr.  Royse.  A 
week  of  hard  work  brought  a  number  to  the  point  of  enlisting, 
and  on  the  6th  of  August  ten  or  a  dozen  were  sworn  in,  Mr. 
Royse  taking  the  first  place  on  the  list.  The  numbers  rapidly 
increased  from  that  on,  so  that  by  the  nth  sixty  names  were  on 
the  roll.  In  the  meantime  David  S.  Moffatt  and  Adam  C. 


18  COMPANY  ORGANIZATIONS. 

Allinson,  both  prominent  and  wealthy  farmers,  had  recruited 
a  number  of  men  in  their  neighborhood,  a  few  miles  west  and 
northwest  of  Macon.  So  many  squads  were  forming  that  it 
was  impossible  for  all  to  make  full  companies.  Fearing  that 
our  company  might  not  easily  secure  the  required  number, 
an  invitation  was  given  the  Allinson  and  Moffatt  men  to  join 
us,  which  was  promptly  accepted.  An  election  was  at  once 
held,  resulting  in  the  choice  of  the  following  officers  :  Captain, 
John  M.  Lane ;  first  lieutenant,  David  S.  Moffatt ;  second  lieu- 
tenant, Adam  C.  Allinson. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  explain  how  it  occurred  that 
the  one  most  active  in  recruiting  the  company,  and  who  ad- 
vanced the  money  to  pay  the  expenses,  was  left  without  an 
office.  He  had  not  aspired  to  any  place  higher  than  second 
lieutenant,  and  was  not  particularly  anxious  for  that.  He  was 
most  interested  in  securing  men  for  the  service  and  freely 
gave  all  his  time  to  that  work,  without  soliciting  anyone  to 
support  him  for  office ;  also,  he  was  a  comparative  stranger  to 
most  of  the  men,  while  Moffatt  and  Allinson  were  old  settlers, 
and  well  known  to  nearly  all.  While  he  was  busy  making  out 
enlistment  papers,  they  were  around  shaking  hands  with  the 
boys.  Naturally  they  had  the  lead,  and  seeing  it,  he  declined 
to  be  a  candidate. 

On  the  2Oth  the  ladies  of  Macon  presented  the  company  a 
beautiful  flag,  Miss  Sarah  Coltra  making  the  presentation 
speech,  to  which  Captain  Lane  responded  on  behalf  of  the 
company.  Col.  J.  H.  Moore  and  Capt.  J.  S.  Post,  of  Decatur, 
were  present  and  made  patriotic  addresses.  A  vote  being 
taken,  it  was  unanimously  decided  that  the  company  should  ask 
to  be  attached  to  Colonel  Moore's  regiment,  the  n5th.  On 
the  25th  orders  came  icquiring  us  to  report  at  once  at  Camp 
Butler.  The  time  for  "good-bye"  to  mothers,  wives,  sweet- 
hearts and  friends  had  come.  Many  of  them  were  at  the  station 
to  see  the  boys  off.  It  was  easy  to  talk  of  going  to  the  war  in 
the  excitement  of  the  recruiting  and  shouting  for  the  flag,  but 
the  farewells  were  not  so  easily  said.  The  stoutest  hearts  were 
affected  and  tears  flowed  freely.  A  short  run  of  ten  miles  on 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  brought  us  to  Decatur  and  thirty- 


LIEUT.-COL.    WILLIAM    KINMAN 
Killed  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 


COMPANY  ORGANIZATIONS-.  19 

five  miles  more  on  the  old  Great  Western,  now  the  Wabash 
Railway,  brought  us  to  Camp  Butler. 

Company  E  was  not  greatly  different  from  the  other  com- 
panies, so  that  the  following  analysis  of  that  company  will 
apply  as  well  to  most  of  the  others.  Thirty-three  were  mar- 
ried and  seventy  unmarried.  In  age,  five  were  from  sixteen 
to  seventeen ;  thirty-two  from  eighteen  to  twenty ;  twenty-two 
from  twenty-one  to  twenty-four ;  twenty-five  from  twenty-five 
to  twenty-nine  ;  t welve  from  thirty  to  thirty-four ;  five  from  thir- 
ty-five to  thirty-nine ;  one  forty  and  one  forty-eight  years  old. 
In  nativity,  twenty-five  were  of  Illinois  ;  twenty-five  of  Indiana ; 
sixteen  of  Ohio ;  eleven  of  Tennessee ;  eight  of  Pennsylvania ; 
four  of  New  York ;  three  of  Virginia ;  three  of  Kentucky ;  and 
one  each  of  Vermont,  Maryland,  North  Carolina  and  Switzer- 
land. Thus,  all  were  Americans  but  one.  In  occupation,  Cap- 
tain Lane  was  a  Methodist  preacher ;  J.  Q.  Adams  was  a  local 
(Methodist)  preacher;  Daniel  H.  Prettyman  was  a  Christian 
preacher;  John  H.  Breeden  was  a  lawyer,  perhaps  the  only 
one  in  the  regiment ;  J.  F.  Hedges,  James  M.  Martin,  Fred- 
erick S.  Gilhousen,  Joseph  R.  Edmonds,  I.  H.  C.  Royse,  and 
several  others,  had  taught  school,  though  designated  as 
farmers. 

Company  F  was  the  result  of  the  union  of  two  companies, 
each  too  small  to  muster  alone.  One  of  these  was  made  up  at 
Decatur  and  the  other  at  Ramsey.  Capt.  F.  L.  Hays  was  the 
moving  spirit  in  the  Decatur  company,  and  one  Captain  Rich- 
mond of  the  other.  The  recruiting  scenes  were  much  the  same 
as  in  the  other  companies.  Mustering  meetings  were  held, 
and  the  fife  and  drum  made  to  do  service ;  these  meetings 
usually  resulted  in  a  number  of  new  accessions.  The  Decatur 
squad,  still  too  few  in  number  to  pass  muster  as  a  company, 
chose  Frank  L.  Hays  as  captain,  and  on  the  26th  of  August 
went  into  camp  at  Camp  Butler.  Captain  Richmond's  wing, 
recruited  about  the  same  time,  was  more  pretentious.  It  had 
more  men  than  the  other  and  elected  a  full  complement  of 
officers,  and  went  into  camp  about  the  same  time  as  the  De- 
catur company.  There  was  soon  much  dissatisfaction  with 
Captain  Richmond.  Charles  H.  Griffith,  afterwards  captain, 


20  COMPANY  ORGANIZATIONS. 

led  the  opposition.  Captain  Richmond  soon  found  he  was  not 
sure  of  his  position,  and  concluding  that  discretion  was  the 
better  part  of  valor  he  quietly  went  home,  followed  by  a 
number  of  his  friends.  A  consolidation  was  then  easily  effected 
with  the  Decatur  boys.  A  new  election  was  held,  resulting  in 
the  choice  of  Frank  L.  Hays  of  Decatur  as  captain,  James 
Smith  of  Montgomery  County,  first  lieutenant,  and  Matthew 
Freeman  of  Shelby  County,  second  lieutenant ;  the  two  latter 
were  of  the  original  Ramsey  company.  Thus  Company  F  was 
finally  permanently  organized.  Captain  Hays  had  been  a 
member  of  a  military  company  in  Ohio  when  a  boy ;  he  had 
some  experience  and  much  military  spirit  and  at  once  led  the 
company  to  a  prominent  place  in  the  regiment.  A  strong  effort 
had  been  made  to  have  the  Hays  squad  join  the  n6th,  but 
the  1 1 5th  was  finally  selected  as  their  choice. 

Company  G  was  organized  at  Shelbyville,  where  Capt.  S. 
Barlow  Espy,  then  a  merchant  of  Shelbyville,  opened  a  re- 
cruiting office  in  his  store  early  in  August,  and  from  that  time 
forward  vigorously  pushed  the  work  till  the  organization  was 
completed.  Very  soon  Captain  Espy  had  more  than  fifty 
names  on  his  roll.  In  the  meantime  several  other  gentlemen 
began  recruiting,  one  J.  L.  Douthit  and  one  Henry  Sutton 
taking  an  active  part,  without  entering  the  service  themselves. 
John  W.  Dove,  John  M.  Baker  and  several  others  actively  as- 
sisted in  the  recruiting  service,  resulting  in  enrolling  several 
squads,  all  of  which  several  attempts  at  forming  companies 
were  consolidated  with  Captain  Espy's  company.  On  the  I5th 
of  August  an  election  was  held,  resulting  in  the  choice  of  the 
following  officers :  Captain,  S.  Barlow  Espy ;  first  lieutenant, 
John  W.  Dove ;  second  lieutenant,  John  M.  Baker ;  orderly 
sergeant.  Oilman  M.  Sturtevant ;  duty  sergeants,  Richard  B. 
Smith,  Benj.  E.  Sutton,  Oliver  H.  Durand  and  William  W. 
Hall.  About  the  2Oth  of  August  the  company  received  orders 
to  report  at  Camp  Butler,  near  Springfield.  The  company  was 
promptly  assembled  at  Shelbyville,  and  the  farewells  to  friends 
were  given.  Many  tears  gave  evidence  of  the  sadness  of  part- 
ing with  wives,  sweethearts  and  friends,  but  patriotic  duty 
called,  and  soon  the  company  was  moving  as  rapidly  as  the 


COMPANY  ORGANIZATIONS.  21 

railway  could  take  it  to  the  rendezvous.  On  arriving  at  Camp 
Butler,  the  company  was  assigned  to  Col.  J.  H.  Moore's  regi- 
ment, and  went  into  camp  with  the  other  companies. 

Company  H  was  organized  at  Delavan  in  Tazewell  County, 
in  the  early  part  of  August.  It  was  composed  of  about  the 
same  material  as  the  other  companies.  It  was  the  work  of  a 
number  of  patriotic  citizens,  Henry  Pratt,  Silas  Parker,  John 
Reardon,  Joseph  J.  Slaughter  and  Stephen  K.  Hatfield  being 
most  conspicuous.  Finding  it  difficult  to  fill  the  company  to 
the  maximum,  they  started  to  Springfield  on  the  I4th  of 
August  with  only  67  men,  with  the  hope  that  others  would  be 
added.  Common  farm  wagons  furnished  the  transportation 
to  Atlanta,  where  they  took  the  train  for  Springfield.  Thence 
to  Camp  Butler  the  journey  was  made  as  best  they  could,  most 
of  them  going  on  foot.  The  boys  of  the  73d  recruited  from  the 
same  locality  gave  them  a  warm  welcome  and  quarters  for  the 
night.  Within  a  few  days  several  recruits  were  added,  making 
73  in  all.  On  the  23d  an  election  was  held,  resulting  in  the 
choice  of  the  following  officers :  Captain,  Henry  Pratt ;  first 
lieutenant,  Silas  Parker;  second  lieutenant,  John  Reardon. 
On  September  3d  the  ladies  of  Delavan  presented  the  com- 
pany a  fine  silk  flag  and  a  splendid  supper,  which  were  accom- 
panied with  speeches  and  much  general  merriment.  When  the 
time  for  mustering  in  the  regiment  came,  the  company  was 
still  short  of  the  required  number  of  men.  Being  unable  to 
recruit  the  men  without  too  much  delay,  the  colonel  hit  upon 
the  expedient  of  borrowing  men  for  Company  H  from  other 
companies.  By  this  means,  the  company  carried  on  its  rolls 
several  men  who  really  belonged  to  other  companies  in  every 
way  but  the  matter  of  legal  muster. 

Company  I  was  also  the  result  of  the  union  of  two  squads. 
Capt.  William  Kinman,  already  a  hero  of  three  wars,  assisted 
by  James  A.  Rutherford  and  others,  recruited  part  of  a  com- 
pany at  Jacksonville  and  even  elected  officers :  William  Kin- 
man, captain  ;  James  A.  Rutherford,  first  lieutenant,  and  Cyrus 
L.  Kinman,  second  lieutenant.  This  company  numbered  65 
men,  too  few  to  muster.  At  the  same  time  another  company 
was  being  formed  at  Meredosia,  in  the  same  county,  by  Simon 


22  COMPANY  ORGANIZATIONS. 

P.  Newman  and  others.  It  also  being  too  small,  the  squads 
were  brought  together  with  the  understanding  that  the  Mere- 
dosia  squad  should  name  the  captain  and  the  first  lieutenant, 
and  the  Jacksonville  contingent  the  second  lieutenant,  Captain 
Kinman  taking  the  chances  for  a  field  office,  while  Lieutenant 
Rutherford  was  expected  to  take  thirty  men  from  the  Jack- 
sonville squad  and  join  the  loist  regiment,  in  which  he  was 
expected  to  be  first  lieutenant.  This  plan  was  only  partly  car- 
ried out.  Simon  P.  Newman  was  made  captain ;  James  S. 
Samuels,  first  lieutenant,  and  Cyrus  L.  Kinman,  second  lieu- 
tenant ;  but  for  some  reason  Lieutenant  Rutherford  refused  to 
go  to  the  loist,  and  declared  he  would  rather  remain  in  the 
company,  even  as  a  private.  However,  about  thirty  of  the 
Jacksonville  party  withdrew  from  the  company  and  went  to 
the  loist  regiment.  When  once  organized,  the  company  was 
ready  for  the  rendezvous  and  at  once  took  the  train  for  Camp 
Butler,  where  it  was  assigned  to  the  H5th  regiment. 

Company  K  came  from  Menard  and  Sangamon  Counties, 
but  was  organized  at  Athens.  The  details  of  its  organization 
have  not  been  furnished  and  hence  but  few  particulars  can  be 
given.  James  Steele  of  Athens  was  chosen  captain,  Sylvester 
M.  Bailey  of  Salisbury,  first  lieutenant,  and  Philip  Riley  of 
Springfield,  second  lieutenant.  These  officers  were  probably 
most  active  in  bringing  the  company  together,  and  should 
have  the  credit.  Though  largely  composed  of  Americans, 
Company  K  had  a  number  of  Irishmen  or  men  of  Irish  descent. 

Camp  Butler  was  situated  in  the  woods  near  the  Sangamon 
River,  on  the  line  of  the  Great  Western  (now  the  Wabash) 
Railway,  about  five  or  six  miles  east  of  Springfield.  It  was  the 
most  important  of  the  camps  of  rendezvous  for  the  Illinois 
Volunteers  and  was  a  busy  place  nearly  all  through  the  war. 
There  were  a  few  rough  frame  buildings  used  for  the  storage 
of  camp  and  garrison  equipage  and  army  supplies,  but  the 
troops  were  sheltered  in  tents.  At  the  time  the  companies  of 
the  H5th  reached  the  camp  a  considerable  number  of  regi- 
ments were  already  there;  among  them  the  73d,  82cl,  gist 
and  io7th  that  are  now  remembered.  They  were  all  there  for 
the  same  purpose  as  ourselves,  that  of  organization,  equipment 


BREVET  COL.  GEORGE  A.  POTEET,  U.  S.  VOLS. 
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL,  11STH  ILL.  VOLS. 


AT  CAMP  BUTLER.  23 

and  discipline.  Some  were  almost  ready  for  the  field,  others 
had  just  arrived  and  more  were  coming.  The  73d  left  for 
Kentucky  soon  after  our  arrival. 

The  work  of  organizing  and  equipping  our  regiment  was 
pushed  with  great  vigor.  Each  day  brought  something  new. 
The  officers  were  supplied  with  wall  tents  with  a  fly,  or  double 
roof,  that  made  quite  a  comfortable  home  as  well  as  office  for 
them.  The  men  had  bell  tents  or  wedge  tents,  the  former 
large  enough  to  hold  ten  or  twelve  men,  while  the  latter  would 
furnish  room  for  from  four  to  six  men.  A  very  complete  outfit 
of  camp  kettles,  pans,  cups,  tin  plates,  etc.,  was  issued  to  the 
several  companies.  The  officers  usually  employed  a  cook,  who 
rigged  up  a  kitchen  in  the  rear  of  the  officers'  tent,  and  pre- 
pared such  meals  for  them  as  they  were  able  or  pleased  to  buy 
supplies  for.  It  should  be  understood  that  officers  of  the  army 
are  expected  to  furnish  their  own  outfit,  excepting  tents,  and 
also  to  provide  their  table  with  provisions  and  other  sup- 
plies. They  furnish  their  living,  but  are  allowed  to  draw  com- 
mutation of  rations.  The  enlisted  men  have  no  such  privileges, 
but  draw  rations  in  kind.  The  companies  were  divided  into 
messes  of  such  number  each  as  seemed  desirable,  ranging  from 
four  or  five  to  twelve  or  fifteen  men  to  the  mess.  The  rations 
were  drawn  by  the  orderly  (or  first)  sergeant  and  distributed 
to  the  several  messes.  At  the  beginning  some  of  the  com- 
panies employed  a  company  cook  who  prepared  meals  for  the 
entire  company,  all  living  in  common.  That  method  did  not 
last  long,  however,  as  it  was  found  inconvenient  except  in  per- 
manent camp.  In  the  messes  the  cooking  was  usually  clone  by 
the  men,  each  taking  his  turn  at  that  service. 

Drilling  was  m  the  daily  occupation.  The  awkward  squad 
could  be  seen  at  all  hours  of  the  day,  in  every  direction,  making 
a  desperate  effort  to  learn  the  position  of  a  soldier,  the  manual 
of  arms  and  the  various  movements  of  the  company.  Usually 
a  portion  of  each  day  was  given  to  company  drill  and  another 
to  battalion  drill.  The  colonel,  having  had  no  military  ex- 
perience, contented  himself  with  the  executive  work  pertaining 
to  the  command  of  the  regiment,  and  left  the  work  of  drilling 
the  resfiment  entirelv  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Kinman  and  Ma- 


24  REGIMENTAL  OFFICERS. 

jor  Poteet,  the  former  having  had  experience  in  the  Black 
Hawk  and  Mexican  Wars,  and  the  latter  having  served  more 
than  a  year  in  the  I4th  Illinois  Volunteers. 

The  several  companies  being  fully  organized  and  in  their 
proper  place  in  camp,  on  the  26th  day  of  August  the  regiment 
was  organized  by  the  selection  of  the  following  officers :  Col- 
onel, Jesse  H.  Moore,  of  Decatur ;  lieutenant-colonel,  William 
Kinman,  of  Jacksonville ;  major,  George  A.  Poteet,  of  Shelby- 
ville ;  adjutant,  John  H.  Woods,  of  Alton ;  quartermaster, 
Benj.  F.  Farley,  of  Athens;  surgeon,  Enoch  W.  Moore,  of 
Decatur ;  first  assistant  surgeon,  Nelson  G.  Blalock,  of  Mt. 
Zion ;  second  assistant  surgeon,  James  A.  Jones,  of  Delavan ; 
chaplain,  Arthur  Bradshaw,  of  Decatur. 

The  colonel,  lieutenant-colonel  and  major  were  elected  by 
the  commissioned  officers  of  the  regiment,  in  the  same  man- 
ner that  the  company  officers  were  elected  by  the  men  of  the 
several  companies.  The  staff  officers  were  nominated  or  rec- 
ommended by  the  colonel,  and  together  with  all  the  other 
officers  of  the  regiment,  received  their  commissions  from  the 
governor.  After  the  first  organization  of  the  regiment,  elec- 
tions were  rarely  held,  vacancies  being  filled  by  appointment 
and  commission  by  the  governor,  usually  on  the  recommenda- 
tion of  the  colonel.  The  rule  in  Illinois  was  that  promotions 
were  made  within  the  company  and  regiment,  taking  the  next 
in  rank,  unless  for  some  cause,  one  lower  in  rank  was  recom- 
mended by  the  colonel  or  selected  by  the  governor.  Promo- 
tions were  rarely,  if  ever,  made  from  one  company  to  another, 
or  from  one  regiment  to  another,  so  the  ambitious  company 
officer,  was  compelled  to  wait  till  a  vacancy  occurred  in  his  own 
company.  In  that  way  it  frequently  occurred  that  a  capable, 
deserving  officer  remained  in  the  same  position  throughout 
his  service,  simply  because  the  officer  next  above  him  would 
not  die,  get  killed,  or  resign,  and  was  unable  to  secure  promo- 
tion. The  promotion  of  Captain  Poteet  to  be  major  left  a 
vacancy  in  the  captaincy  of  Company  B,  which  was  promptly 
filled  by  the  promotion  of  Lieut.  Eleazer  Slocum.  At  the  same 
time  Lieut.  Erasmus  D.  Steen  was  promoted  to  the  first  lieu- 
tenancy and  John  Beauchamp  to  the  second  lieutenancy. 


BREVET  MAJ.  ELEAZER  SLOCUM,  U.  S.  VOLS. 
CAPTAIN,  COMPANY  B. 


MUSTERED  IN.  25 

These  changes  occuring  before  muster,  they  all  appeared  on 
the  rolls  as  original  officers  of  the  company.  The  following 
non-commissioned  officers  of  the  regiment  were  appointed  by 
the  colonel :  Sergeant-major,  Wood  W.  Peddecord,  of  De- 
catur;  quartermaster  sergeant,  Charles  W.  Jerome,  of  Shelby- 
ville;  commissary  sergeant,  Allen  Litsenberger,  of  Decatur ; 
hospital  steward,  Addison  C.  Douglass,  of  Macon ;  principal 
musicians,  W.  H.  Kolp,  James  T.  Roberts. 

While  in  Camp  Butler  many  of  the  married  men  and  others 
having  important  business  were  granted  furloughs  to  go  home 
and  visit  their  families  and  adjust  their  business  affairs  for  the 
long  absence.  Others  went  home  because  of  sickness,  some  of 
whom  died,  and  a  few  others  were  never  able  to  return  to 
service.  Sundays  were  much  occupied  in  receiving  visitors 
from  home.  The  visitors  generally  brought  well  filled  baskets, 
making  many  of  the  boys  glad  to  see  the  good  things  prepared 
by  their  mothers  and  sisters.  One  of  the  most  exciting  scenes 
at  Camp  Butler  was  a  little  battle  between  the  men  of  the 
82d  regiment,  composed  almost  entirely  of  Germans,  and 
commanded  by  that  gallant  German,  Col.  Fred  Hecker,  and 
those  of  the  Qist  regiment,  as  exclusively  made  up  of  Ameri- 
cans and  commanded  by  Colonel  Day.  The  Germans  resented 
some  fancied  insult  of  the  Americans,  whether  from  too  much 
bad  beer  or  an  excess  of  regimental  pride,  we  shall  not  attempt 
to  decide.  A  pitched  battle  followed,  resulting,  however,  in 
no  serious  loss  to  either  party,  as  it  was  soon  quelled  by  the 
camp  commander  and  his  provost  guards,  consisting  of  three 
companies  of  Missouri  three  months  men. 

The  regiment  was  formally  mustered  into  the  United  States 
service  for  "three  years  or  during  the  war,"  on  the  I3th  of 
September,  by  Lieut.  Ferd.  E.  de  Courcey  of  the  regular  army. 
This  was  done  by  calling  the  regiment  into  line  and  publicly 
administering  the  oath  of  service  to  the  entire  regiment.  Pre- 
viously "muster-in  rolls"  of  the  several  companies  had  been 
prepared  in  triplicate.  These  were  on  large  sheets  of  paper 
about  twenty  by  thirty  inches  and  gave  the  name,  rank,  place  of 
residence,  age,  occupation  and  much  other  information  per- 
taining to  each  of  the  men  of  the  several  companies,  and  were 


26  EQUIPMENT. 

certified  to  by  the  mustering  officer.  One  copy  of  these  rolls 
was  sent  to  the  adjutant-general  of  the  army,  at  Washington, 
and  became  the  basis  of  the  permanent  record  of  the  regiment 
that  is  kept  in  that  office  ;  another  copy  was  filed  with  the  adju- 
tant-general of  the  State  of  Illinois  for  the  State  record.  Pre- 
vious to  this  mustering  we  had  all  been  sworn  into  the  service 
on  our  enlistment.  After  the  "muster  in"  we  were  fully  in- 
ducted into  the  services  of  the  United  States,  and  subject  to 
go  wherever  the  President  might  order.  The  daily  drills  were 
continued,  uniforms  were  issued  to  the  men,  and  the  officers 
were  equipped  in  regulation  style  at  their  own  expense.  At 
last  the  regiment  was  armed,  but  with  the  most  clumsy  musket 
known  to  the  service,  the  old  Remington  rifle  of  .69  caliber, 
which  was  carried  till  after  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  JOURNEY  TO   RICHMOND,  KY. 

While  the  H5th  was  engaged  in  preparation  for  the  service, 
important  military  operations  were  going  on,  both  in  the  East 
and  in  the  West.  General  Grant  was  pushing  his  first  cam- 
paign against  Vicksburg.  General  Pope  had  been  assigned  to 
the  command  of  the  Army  of  Virginia,  operating  against 
Stonewall  Jackson,  in  the  valley  of  the  Shenandoah,  while 
General  McClellan,  reduced  to  the  command  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac  by  the  assignment  of  Halleck  to  the  command 
of  all  the  armies,  instead  of  threatening  Richmond,  had  been 
giving  all  his  attention  to  the  defense  of  the  National  capital. 
Numerous  battles  had  been  fought  along  the  Virginia  fron- 
tier ;  Lee  had  made  his  first  attempt  at  Northern  invasion 
and  had  been  turned  back  by  the  desperate  struggle  at  Antie- 
tam  on  the  i6th  and  ij\h  of  September,  in  which  there  was  a 
loss  of  10,000  on  each  side.  McClellan,  so  long  the  idol  of 
the  army,  had  fallen  in  popular  estimation  and  about  that  time 
was  superseded  by  Gen.  A.  E.  Burnsides.  Washington  was 
still  confronted  by  a  powerful  Confederate  army  and  no  sub- 
stantial progress  had  been  made  in  the  effort  to  relieve  the 
capital  of  the  constant  menace.  The  war  had  grown  to  great 
proportions,  and  in  the  South  almost  every  able-bodied  man 
had  been  forced  into  the  service. 

As  General  Buell  moved  northward,  the  whole  of  Tennessee, 
south  and  east  of  Nashville,  was  abandoned.  A  single  divis- 
ion was  left  for  the  defense  of  the  State  capital,  and  by  forced 
marches  General  Buell  rapidly  brought  the  rest  of  his  army  to 
the  vicinity  of  Louisville.  Bragg  had  made  a  triumphant 
march  through  Tennessee  and  Kentucky.  The  garrison  at 
Munfordville,  under  General  Johnson,  had  been  captured  and 


28  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  OHIO. 

the  Confederates  were  hopeful  of  crossing  the  Ohio  River, 
As  a  part  of  the  general  movement,  Generals  Price  and  Van 
Dorn,  with  a  considerable  force  of  Confederates,  were  making 
a  demonstration  against  Grant  and  Rosecrans  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Corinth,  to  prevent  them  from  reenforcing  Buell. 
Gens.  John  H.  Morgan  and  N.  B.  Forrest,  with  their  cavalry 
divisions,  were  ranging  through  southern  and  central  Ken- 
tucky, gathering  up  horses  and  supplies  and  everywhere  haras- 
sing the  Union  forces  in  every  possible  manner. 

The  strong  post  at  Cumberland  Gap,  under  command  of 
Gen.  George  W.  Morgan,  was  besieged  by  General  Steven- 
son's division  of  Confederates,  while  Gen.  E.  Kirby  Smith 
with  a  force  of  about  16,000  infantry,  cavalry  and  artillery 
passed  by  and  moved  rapidly  in  the  direction  of  Richmond 
and  Lexington.  General  Morgan  failing  to  provoke  General 
Stevenson  to  battle,  and  finding  his  supply  of  forage  and  ra- 
tions failing,  on  the  I4th  of  August  abandoned  the  place  after 
destroying  all  Government  property  that  could  not  be  moved. 
In  order  to  avoid  Kirby  Smith's  forces,  he  retreated  into 
northeastern  Kentucky  to  Grayson  and  Greenupsburg. 

The  department  of  the  Ohio  had  recently  been  formed,  in- 
cluding the  States  of  Ohio,  Indiana  and  a  part  of  Kentucky, 
under  command  of  Maj.-Gen.  H.  G.  Wright,  and  Maj.-Gen. 
William  Nelson  had  been  placed  in  command  of  the  forces  in 
central  Kentucky.  The  troops  under  his  command  were 
mostly  new  regiments  hastily  collected.  Many  of  them  had 
never  been  drilled  as  such,  and  the  officers  were  mostly  with- 
out military  experience.  Three  brigades  of  such  troops,  com- 
manded by  Brig.-Gens.  M.  D.  Manson,  Charles  Cruft  and 
J.  F.  Jackson  were  concentrated  in  the  vicinity  of  Lexington 
and  Richmond.  On  the  2Qth  of  August,  General  Manson 
in  command  of  this  force  met  the  advance  of  Gen.  Kirby 
Smith's  army  at  Rogersvillle,  six  or  eight  miles  south  of  Rich- 
mond. A  short  skirmish  ensued,  followed  by  a  fierce  assault 
the  next  day,  which  was  too  much  for  General  Manson's  raw 
troops.  He  was  compelled  to  fall  back  to  Richmond,  con- 
tinuing the  fight  in  his  retreat ;  a  brief  stand  was  made  at  the 
cemetery,  but  the  superior  forces  of  the  enemy  soon  drove 


THE  iisTH  STARTS  FOR  THE  FRONT.  29 

the  Union  Army  on  through  the  town  and  over  the  Ken- 
tucky River  without  any  further  effort  at  resistance.  There 
being  no  opposition,  Gen.  Kirby  Smith  moved  rapidly  through 
the  blue-grass  region,  the  pride  of  Kentucky;  Lexington, 
Paris  and  other  towns  were  occupied  and  soon  his  advance 
was  within  sight  of  Cincinnati.  The  boldness  of  his  move- 
ments and  the  near  approach  to  the  Ohio,  even  threatening 
so  important  a  place  as  Cincinnati  then  was,  caused  the  great- 
est excitement  throughout  the  Northwest.  The  cities  of  Cin- 
cinnai  and  Louisville  were  in  wildest  alarm.  For  the  defense 
of  these  cities  a  provisional  army  of  recruits,  citizens,  soldiers 
and  new  regiments  was  hastily  assembled  under  Gens.  A.  J. 
Smith,  Lew  Wallace  and  Gordon  Granger. 

The  1 1 5th  was  ready  for  service  and  was  needed  in  Ken- 
tucky. On  the  4th  of  October  the  order  came  to  break  camp 
and  hasten  to  the  front.  The  packing  was  quickly  done  and  our 
camp  and  garrison  equipage  was  soon  on  board  the  cars.  The 
natural  route  was  by  the  Wabash  Railway  to  Lafayette,  Ind., 
and  thence  direct  to  Cincinnati,  but  that  road  had  more  work 
transporting  troops  than  it  could  well  do  and  hence  had  no 
cars  for  us.  We  were  thus  compelled  to  take  the  Chicago  & 
Alton  Railroad  and  make  the  circuit  via  Alton  and  thence 
by  the  St.  Louis,  Alton  &  Terre  Haute  Railway  through 
Terre  Haute  and  Indianapolis.  It  was  after  midnight  when 
our  train  of  thirty  freight  cars,  loaded  inside  and  on  top  with 
bluecoats,  moved  off  toward  the  southwest.  At  daylight  we 
were  passing  through  the  fertile  prairies  of  Macoupin  County 
and  at  10  o'clock  were  at  Alton.  A  short  stop  and  a  hasty 
breakfast  from  our  haversacks,  and  we  were  soon  on  the  way 
eastward.  Necessarily  our  progress  was  slow  when  compared 
with  the  speed  of  modern  express  trains.  There  was  more  to 
be  seen  from  the  top  of  the  cars  and  many  were  venturesome 
enough  to  ride  there ;  this  was  a  dangerous  thing  to  do,  as 
became  painfully  evident  that  day  when  our  first  accident  oc- 
curred. One  of  the  boys,  perhaps  not  more  careless  but  more 
unfortunate  than  the  rest,  fell  from  the  top  of  a  car,  crushing 
his  right  leg  so  that  it  was  amputated  when  we  reached  Shel- 
byville.  Here  Companies  B  and  G  were  at  home  and  had  a 


30  ARRIVAL  AT  COVINGTON. 

pleasant  visit  with  friends.  A  bountiful  dinner  had  been  pre- 
pared for  them,  which  they  were  then  in  condition  to  enjoy  in 
the  highest  degree. 

We  passed  Terre  Haute  at  midnight  and  at  8  o'clock  the 
morning  of  the  6th  arrived  at  Indianapolis,  where  we  were 
most  hospitably  treated  by  the  citizens.  To  say  that  we  were 
tired  and  hungry  is  putting  it  mildly.  As  soon  as  the  train 
reached  the  siding  of  the  (now)  Big  Four  railroad,  just  east 
of  Virginia  Avenue,  the  boys  hurried  out  to  find  something  to 
eat,  at  bakeries  and  restaurants,  but  none  were  near.  The 
people  living  in  the  vicinity  quickly  appreciated  the  situation 
and  without  formality  took  the  strangers  into  their  homes,  and 
soon  the  whole  regiment  of  nearly  a  thousand  men  were  given 
a  hearty  breakfast.  The  entire  neighborhood  took  part  in 
this  generous  hospitality,  everyone  within  reach  seeming  anx- 
ious to  help.  The  heartiness  of  the  reception  gave  us  all  an 
excellent  opinion  of  Indianapolis,  and  it  was  long  remem- 
bered and  talked  of.  Soon  after  breakfast  the  journey  was 
resumed  via  the  Cincinnati  &  Indianapolis  Railroad  (now  the 
Big  Four)  and  without  special  incident  Cincinnati  was  reached 
at  5  p.  m.  The  time  had  now  come  to  sling  knapsacks  and 
take  up  the  real  march.  Those  knapsacks  were  not  mere  tri- 
fles either;  they  were  large  and  capable  of  great  expansion 
and  were  well  filled  with  all  sorts  of  articles,  supposed  by  kind 
friends  to  be  useful  in  soldier  life,  but  which  we  soon  found  a 
great  burden.  The  knapsack,  with  blanket  and  rubber  poncho 
strapped  on  top,  together  with  cartridge  box,  ammunition, 
gun  and  trappings,  weighed  from  forty  to  sixty  pounds  to 
the  man. 

From  the  depot  we  marched  up  Third  Street,  perhaps  a  mile, 
to  Walnut  Street,  and  thence  across  the  Ohio  River  on  a  pon- 
toon bridge  constructed  of  coal  barges,  to  Covington.  March- 
ing through  the  principal  streets  of  that  city  and  out  on  the 
high  ridge  in  its  southern  borders,  our  company  found  a  place 
for  bivouac  on  the  side  of  a  hill  in  dust  and  dirt  too  deep  for 
any  use  that  we  could  think  of.  We  were  already  loaded  with 
the  dust  from  the  streets  through  which  we  had  marched  and 
so  took  the  camp  ground  without  complaint.  The  citizens  of 


CAPT.  JOHN  M.  LANE. 
COMPANY  E. 


BUELL'S  PURSUIT  OF  BRAGG.  31 

Cincinnati  and  Covington  had  gone  through  such  a  terrible 
fright  that  they  were  delighted  to  see  reenforcements,  and 
thronged  the  streets  as  we  passed,  giving  us  the  most  hearty 
expressions  of  welcome. 

The  art  of  living  in  camp  had  not  yet  been  learned.  Our  camp 
equipage  had  not  arrived.  Neither  food  nor  water  was  to  be 
found,  and  the  only  thing  left  for  us  to  do  that  night  was  to  go 
supperless  to  bed,  if  the  place  we  had  to  lie  on  could  be  so 
called.  That  was  a  pretty  rough  beginning,  but  quite  passa- 
ble in  comparison  with  what  was  before  us.  Tired  boys  can 
sleep  under  great  difficulties  and  we  slept  soundly  that  night. 
The  next  day  a  camp  was  selected  for  us  on  pleasant,  sloping 
ground  near  the  Licking  River,  and  here  we  remained  twelve 
days  making  active  preparations  for  field  operations.  The 
scare  was  already  over.  Gen.  Kirby  Smith  had  changed  his 
mind,  if  he  ever  intended  attacking  the  place.  After  gathering 
up  all  the  serviceable  horses  the  country  afforded  and  such 
other  supplies  as  he  could  take  with  him,  he  moved  off  south- 
ward to  join  the  forces  of  General  Bragg. 

General  Buell  having  secured  large  accessions  to  his  army 
from  the  new  regiments  pouring  in  from  Indiana,  Illinois,  Wis- 
consin and  Michigan,  and  thinking  himself  ready  for  offen- 
sive operations,  began  his  advance  on  General  Bragg  Octo- 
ber ist.  General  Bragg's  army  was  then  in  the  vicinity  of 
Bardstown.  Soon  after  leaving  Louisville,  the  several  divis- 
ions of  Buell's  army  began  to  meet  the  enemy's  skirmishers, 
but  no  serious  opposition  was  met  till  near  Perrysville.  The 
battle  of  Perrysville  followed  on  the  7th  and  8th  of  October, 
in  which  much  severe  fighting  occurred,  with  a  loss  of  4,000 
on  each  side  in  killed,  wounded  and  captured.  The  Confed- 
erates retired  during  the  night  following,  leaving  their  dead 
and  wounded  on  the  field.  Bragg  took  up  his  retreat  into 
Tennessee,  the  principal  part  of  his  army  passing  out  through 
the  Cumberland  Gap  and  down  through  East  Tennessee. 
General  Bragg  "first  made  his  headquarters  at  Morristown  and 
then  at  Chattanooga  and  finally  at  Murfreesboro,  where  his 
army  was  concentrated  in  the  latter  part  of  November.  After 
following  Bragg  through  Danville  and  Lebanon  to  Crab 


32  MARCH  TO  LEXINGTON. 

Orchard,  General  Buell's  army  gave  up  the  pursuit  and  con- 
centrated near  Bowling  Green,  with  the  view  of  preventing 
any  movement  of  the  enemy  on  Nashville. 

While  at  Covington  our  regiment  was  given  daily  drills. 
The  awkward  squad  was  coming  to  be  less  in  evidence,  and 
the  soldierly  movements  of  the  companies  more  common. 
The  practicing  of  the  piano  student  may  be  a  great  nuisance 
to  her  neighbors,  but  it  is  nothing  compared  with  the  noise  and 
racket  made  by  our  musicians  practicing  on  the  bugle,  fife  and 
drum.  The  most  discordant  notes  were  heard  in  every  direc- 
tion and  at  all  times  of  the  day,  until  silenced  at  night  by 
the  sound  of  taps.  The  quartermaster's  department  was  ex- 
ceedingly busy  at  that  time ;  wagons,  teams  and  all  other 
necessary  equipments  for  a  campaign  were  issued  to  the  regi- 
ment. 

In  the  meantime  the  Army  of  Kentucky  had  been  formed 
of  the  troops  in  that  part  of  the  State,  and  Maj.-Gen.  Gordon 
Granger  placed  in  command.  On  the  i8th  orders  came  to 
prepare  for  the  march.  It  was  our  first  movement  of  the  sort, 
and  with  our  immense  stock  of  camp  and  garrison  equipage 
and  our  want  of  experience,  it  took  a  long  time  to  pack  and 
get  our  outfits  loaded.  Each  company  had  its  own  wagon,  and 
the  regimental  headquarters  three  or  four.  Our  regiment 
then  numbered  nearly  a  thousand  men,  so  that  when  on  the 
road  in  line  of  march,  followed  by  our  dozen  or  fifteen  wagons, 
it  made  quite  an  imposing  procession.  Although  the  orders 
came  early  in  the  day,  it  was  nearly  sundown  when  we  got 
under  way.  We  proceeded  through  the  outskirts  of  Coving- 
ton  to  the  Lexington  pike,  and  thence  south  on  that  splendid 
road  a  distance  of  five  or  six  miles,  where  we  turned  into  a 
field  and  made  camp  for  the  night.  It  was  then  nine  or  ten 
o'clock,  and  little  time  was  lost  in  preparing  camp,  all  being 
soon  in  the  forgetfulness  of  sleep.  The  night  was  warm  and 
pleasant  and  all  enjoyed  a  good  night's  rest.  In  honor  of  our 
colonel,  the  place  was  named  Camp  Moore. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  iQth  the  camp  was  aroused  by 
the  shrill  notes  of  the  bugle.  Although  it  was  Sunday,  the 
march  was  to  be  resumed,  and  we  soon  learned  that  Sunday 


MARCH  TO  LEXINGTON.  33 

was  the  same  as  any  other  day  while  on  march  or  campaign ; 
the  day  was  never  allowed  to  interfere  with  what  the  com- 
mander deemed  necessry  in  military  operations.  War  is  a 
"work  of  necessity,"  and  the  march,  campaign  and  battle  went 
on  regardless  of  the  sacred  day.  That  Sabbath  day's  journey 
was  a  distance  of  eleven  or  twelve  miles  over  the  dry  dusty 
pike.  It  was  a  pleasant  day,  but  with  our  heavy  loads  all 
were  quite  tired  when  we  turned  into  camp  in  a  beautiful 
woods  pasture  that  Gen.  Kirby  Smith  and  his  Confederates 
had  occupied  for  the  same  purpose  but  a  little  more  than  two 
weeks  before.  We  called  the  place  Camp  Kinman,  in  honor 
of  our  Lieut.-Col  William  Kinman.  A  strange  flag  having 
been  seen  in  the  neighborhood,  two  companies  were  sent  out 
to  reconnoiter,  but  returned  without  finding  any  rebels.  In 
that  early  part  of  our  soldier  experience  it  was  supposed  neces- 
sary to  pitch  tents  every  night,  and  if  there  was  any  straw  or 
hay  in  the  neighborhood  it  was  brought  into  service  as 
bedding.  As  we  were  in  loyal  Kentucky,  great  care  was  taken 
that  none  but  the  "top  rails"  were  taken  as  fuel. 

Early  on  the  2Oth  the  journey  was  continued  on  the  Lex- 
ington pike  as  far  as  the  village  of  Crittenden,  and  thence 
by  a  common  country  road  in  a  southeasterly  direction  to- 
wards Falmouth,  on  the  Kentucky  Central  Railroad.  This 
was  a  very  hard  march ;  the  road  was  over  hills  and  hollows, 
and  very  dusty,  and  the  country  through  which  we  passed  was 
almost  destitute  of  water,  because  of  the  long  drought  that 
had  prevailed.  Many  of  the  men  became  footsore  and  lame ; 
some  hired  wagons  to  haul  their  knapsacks  and  other  luggage. 
A  large  number  straggled  behind,  too  lame  and  tired  to  keep 
up  with  the  regiment.  After  eighteen  miles  of  such  march- 
ing, all  were  glad  to  turn  into  a  field  near  a  little  creek  for 
the  night.  The  day  was  not  without  relief  in  the  way  of 
amusing  incidents,  however.  In  the  course  of  the  march 
some  of  the  boys  observed  some  peach  trees  of  a  late  variety, 
then  laden  with  ripe  fruit.  It  did  not  require  orders  to  take 
them  into  the  field,  and  soon  many  pockets  and  haversacks 
were  well  filled.  Major  Poteet,  seeing  the  breach  of  discipline, 
yelled  in  loud,  sharp  tones,  "Out  of  that,"  which  made  the 


34  MARCH  TO  LEXINGTON. 

timid  ones  scamper  at  a  lively  rate,  while  in  a  lower  tone  the 
major  called  to  those  nearest  him,  "Bring  me  some,"  a  cause 
of  great  merriment  for  those  who  heard  it.  Others,  thinking 
we  were  already  in  the  enemy's  country  and  that  there  was  no 
harm  in  "pressing  into  the  service"  such  of  his  property  as 
could  be  made  useful,  extended  their  operations  much  farther 
than  the  peach  fields.  Following  out  this  idea,  a  squad 
brought  in  about  twenty  head  of  fat  cattle  and  as  many  sheep 
for  a  change  of  diet,  and  several  horses  for  pack  service.  Colo- 
nel Moore  was  not  ready  for  such  warfare,  and  as  soon  as 
made  aware  of  their  doings,  placed  six  of  the  boys  under  arrest 
and  restored  all  the  property  to  its  owners. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  march  was  resumed.  The 
weight  of  the  knapsacks,  guns  and  accouterments  seemed 
greater  than  ever.  All  were  disposed  to  lighten  the  load ;  every- 
one tried  to  make  the  march  less  wearisome,  but  as  the  day  wore 
on  the  loads  only  seemed  heavier  and  the  feet  more  tender. 
It  was  a  great  relief  when  we  went  into  camp  about  four  o'clock 
at  Falmouth.  We  there  found  about  7,000  men  in  camp,  under 
command  of  Maj.-Gen.  Gordon  Granger.  Two  days  were 
spent  at  this  place  resting  our  sore  feet  and  weary  limbs. 
While  at  Falmouth,  Dr.  James  A.  Jones,  our  second  assistant 
surgeon,  first  joined  the  regiment,  he  having  been  commis- 
sioned after  we  left  for  the  field. 

On  the  24th  the  march  was  continued  toward  Lexington. 
The  roads  were  as  dusty  and  over  as  dry  and  hilly  a  country 
as  before,  yet  the  day's  march  covered  a  distance  of  eighteen 
miles,  and  night  overtook  us  at  Robinson's  Station,  on  the 
Licking  River.  Several  of  our  men  had  been  left  at  Falmouth 
in  the  hospital,  sick  from  overexertion.  The  ladies  of  the 
place,  learning  that  the  hospital  was  short  of  supplies  and  that 
the  sick  were  in  need,  came  to  their  felief  with  the  best  the 
town  could  supply.  The  next  day  we  made  a  shorter  march ; 
about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  it  began  to  rain  and  we 
went  into  camp  adjoining  the  town  of  Cynthiana.  The  boys 
had  by  this  time  learned  somewhat  how  to  adapt  themselves 
to  circumstances.  As  soon  as  arms  were  stacked,  all  went  to 
work  with  a  will  to  make  ready  for  the  night — some  pitching 


MARCH  TO  LEXINGTON.  35 

tents,  others  bringing  water  or  making  fires,  while  others 
brought  straw  from  friendly  stacks  in  the  vicinity.  Very  soon 
all  were  in  shelter,  comfortably  quartered  and '  ready  for  a 
good  night's  rest. 

The  rain  turned  to  snow  in  the  night,  and  on  the  morning 
of  the  26th  we  found  the  ground  covered  to  a  depth  of  three  or 
four  inches.  It  was  Sunday  again,  but  not  a  day  of  rest  for 
us.  The  snow  delayed  our  movements  and  it  was  nine  o'clock 
before  we  got  fairly  started  on  the  road.  And  such  a  road ! 
The  snow  melting  and  being  tramped  into  the  dust  soon  made 
mud  shoe-top  deep.  This  was  perhaps  the  most  slavish  day's 
march  of  all  our  term  of  service.  We  were  under  Uncle  Sam's 
orders  and  could  not  lie  by,  either  for  Sunday  or  for  muddy 
roads.  Long  before  night  many  of  us  were  so  fatigued  that 
each  mile  seemed  the  last  that  it  would  be  possible  to  travel ; 
yet,  hoping  each  succeeding  mile  would  end  the  day's  journey, 
new  courage  was  gained  to  make  it.  Toward  night  the  skies 
cleared  and  it  turned  freezing  cold.  We  continued  the  tramp 
until  about  8  p.  m.,  when  we  went  into  camp  in  some  fields 
near  Paris.  It  was  quite  dark  and  all  of  us  were  entirely  igno- 
rant of  our  surroundings.  In  spite  of  the  difficulties,  bright 
fires  were  soon  burning,  water  had  been  found,  the  kettles 
were  steaming  with  coffee  and  plenty  of  straw  had  been  secured 
for  bedding. 

The  next  morning,  October  27th,  was  cool  and  clear.  About 
eight  o'clock  we  took  up  the  line  of  march,  with  every  indica- 
tion of  a  full  day's  work  ahead  of  us,  and  the  possibility  of 
reaching  Lexington  by  evening.  Instead  of  that  we  had  a 
lesson  in  the  uncertainties  of  military  operations.  It  was  a 
common  experience  that  we  were  to  remain  in  camp  when 
we  expected  to  move  forward ;  and  when  we  had  fixed  up 
camp  for  a  comfortable  stay  of  months  or  for  winter  quarters, 
we  immediately  received  orders  to  go.  The  result  was  the 
boys  soon  learned  to  be  ready  for  whatever  might  happen. 
The  march  would  begin  with  entire  uncertainty  as  to  whether 
for  a  few  miles  or  for  many.  When  the  army  went  into  camp 
all  went  to  work  with  great  vigor  to  make  the  place  comforta- 
ble, taking  as  much  interest  in  fixing  up  as  if  orders  had  been 


36  RESTING  NEAR  PARIS. 

received  to  locate  for  the  season,  the  chances  being  quite  as 
great,  so  far  as  the  rank  and  file  knew,  for  a  march  the  same 
night  or  the  next  day  as  for  any  more  definite  stay. 

On  the  morning  referred  to  we  moved  off  with  as  much 
spirit  as  at  any  time  in  our  soldier  career.  We  soon  reached 
the  city  of  Paris,  marched  through  it  and  beyond,  a  distance 
of  about  two  miles.  Then  the  army  was  halted  and  put  into 
camp  in  the  adjacent  woods  pasture,  for  which  this  part  of 
Kentucky  is  famous.  The  farmers  of  this  blue-grass  region 
had  done  much  for  the  army  by  making  beautiful  camp 
grounds.  Nearly  all  the  woodland  in  that  part  of  the  State  had 
been  enclosed,  cleared  of  all  underbrush  and  well  set  in  blue 
grass.  These  pastures,  studded  with  fine  old  walnut,  poplar 
and  sugar  maple  trees  and  well  watered  by  lasting  springs, 
were  like  great  parks  inviting  us  to  enter  and  be  comfortable. 
It  should  be  said,  also,  that  the  Kentucky  farmers  usually 
treated  us  with  genuine  hospitality.  They  somewhat  ob- 
jected to  the  habit  the  boys  had  of  taking  the  "top  rail"  off 
their  fences,  and  the  liberties  some  took  with  their  poultry 
yards  and  beehives,  but  did  not  seem  disposed  to  make  much 
trouble  about  it. 

There  was  one  interest,  however,  that  was  more  sacred  to 
them,  and  with  which  they  did  not  want  any  interference. 
That  was  their  pet  institution,  slavery.  If  anyone  attempted  to 
disturb  the  relation  of  the  slaves  to  their  masters  it  was  sure 
to  raise  a  pretty  big  row.  Our  regiment  had  its  first  experi- 
ence of  that  sort  on  the  march  from  Robinson  Station  to 
Cynthiana.  A  fine-looking  slave  boy  came  into  our  lines 
seeking  his  liberty.  He  met  real  friends  in  Captain  Steele  of 
Company  K,  Sergeant  Sloane  of  Company  E  and  other  ardent 
abolitionists  of  the  regiment.  They  kept  the  boy  in  hiding 
for  some  time,  while  his  master  was  scouring  the  country  in 
his  efforts  to  recover  his  property.  It  is  probable  that  his 
efforts  were  in  vain,  for  that  boy  was  making  himself  useful 
to  the  Yankees  the  last  we  heard  of  him. 

On  the  28th  we  moved  forward  again  and  about  3  p.  m. 
reached  Lexington.  We  marched  through  some  of  the  prin- 
cipal streets  to  the  Georgetown  pike,  and  out  on  that  road 


NELSON  G.  BLALOCK,  M.  D. 

ASSISTANT  SURGEON. 


THE  ARMY  OF  KENTUCKY.  37 

about  three  or  four  miles  to  the  little  village  of  Sandersville, 
where  we  went  into  camp  and  remained  until  the  I3th  of  No- 
vember. The  time  was  spent  in  drilling  and  organizing  the 
troops,  nearly  all  new  regiments  like  our  own.  General  orders 
required  us  to  drill  five  hours  a  day.  On  October  3ist  we 
had  our  first  "muster  for  pay" ;  that  is,  complete  pay  rolls  of 
the  several  companies  were  made,  very  much  like  the  original 
"muster  in"  rolls  but  with  columns  showing  when  last  paid, 
amount  to  be  deducted  on  account  of  clothing  and  balance  due 
each  soldier,  and  a  column  on  the  right  for  the  signature  of 
the  soldier  receiving  the  pay  and  the  name  of  a  company 
officer  for  witness.  These  pay  rolls  were  made  every  two 
months,  and  the  operation  called  "mustering  for  pay."  How- 
ever, because  of  scarcity  of  funds,  we  were  not  paid  until  long 
afterward. 

The  organization  of  the  Army  of  Kentucky  was  completed 
during  our  stay  at  Sandersville,  as  follows : 

ARMY  OF  KENTUCKY. 
Maj.-Gen.  Gordon  Granger,  Commanding. 

FIRST  DIVISION. 
Brig.-Gen.  A.  J.   Smith,   Commanding. 
FIRST  BRIGADE.  SECOND  BRIGADE. 

Brig.-Gen.  S.  G.  Burbridge,  Com-     Col.  W.  J.   Landrum,  Command- 

manding.  ing. 

83d  Ohio  Infantry.  77th  Illinois  Infantry. 

g6th  Ohio  Infantry.  97th  Illinois  Infantry. 

Ii8th  Ohio  Infantry.  io8th  Illinois  Infantry. 

23d  Wisconsin   Infantry.  igth  Kentucky  Infantry. 

SECOND  DIVISION. 
Brig.-Gen.  Q.  A.  Gilmore,  Commanding. 
FIRST  BRIGADE.  SECOND  BRIGADE. 

Brig.-Gen.  G.  C.  Smith,  Command-   Col.  S.  A.  Gilbert,  Commanding. 

ing.  44th  Ohio  Infantry. 

Ii2th  Illinois  Infantry.  looth  Ohio  Infantry. 

i8th  Michigan  Infantry.  iO3d  Ohio  Infantry. 

22d  Michigan  Infantry.  I04th  Ohio  Infantry. 

45th  Ohio  Infantry. 


38  MARCH  TO  RICHMOND. 

THIRD  DIVISION. 
Brig.-Gen.  Absalom  Baird,  Commanding. 

FIRST  BRIGADE.  SECOND  BRIGADE. 

Col.  John  Coburn,  Commanding.  Col.  P.  T.  Swayne,  Commanding. 

33d  Indiana  Infantry.  Q2d  Illinois  Infantry. 

8sth  Indiana  Infantry.  g6th  Illinois  Infantry. 

iQth  Michigan  Infantry.  H5th  Illinois  Infantry. 

22d  Wisconsin  Infantry.  I4th  Kentucky  Infantry. 

In  addition  to  these  twenty-four  regiments,  the  Army  of 
Kentucky  contained  many  new  regiments  not  yet  assigned  to 
any  brigade  or  division.  Besides  the  company  and  battalion 
drills  there  were  occasional  brigade  drills  to  familiarize  the 
troops  with  the  movements  of  larger  bodies  of  men. 

On  the  1 3th  of  November  our  division  broke  camp  and 
started  on  the  march  for  new  locations,  some  regiments  going 
to  Nicholasville,  some  to  Mount  Sterling  and  Winchester  and 
others  to  Danville,  while  our  regiment  was  ordered  to  Rich- 
mond, a  fine,  rich  town  of  some  1,500  inhabitants,  26  miles 
nearly  south  of  Lexington.  Our  route  was  over  the  Rich- 
mond and  Lexington  pike,  and  being  a  very  fine  road  through 
a  beautiful  country,  we  did  not  look  upon  this  march  as  any 
hardship.  On  the  way  we  passed  the  old  homestead  of  Henry 
Clay,  called  "Ashland."  In  its  day  it  had  been  a  splendid 
plantation  of  600  acres,  stocked  with  the  finest  horses  and 
cattle  produced  in  that  far-famed  blue-grass  region,  but  now 
its  glory  was  gone.  It  was  a  military  camp,  and  the  sage's 
mansion  was  the  headquarters  of  the  commander.  Fine  blue- 
grass  farms  with  large,  comfortable-looking  farm-houses  lined 
the  pike  on  either  side.  These  farmers  were  rrtostly  "truly 
loyal"  to  the  old  flag,  in  profession  at  least,  though  few  of 
them  really  enjoyed  the  presence  of  the  bluecoats.  Before 
night  we  had  covered  half  of  the  journey  to  Richmond  and 
bivouaced  in  a  pasture  about  two  miles  from  the  Kentucky 
River. 

The  bugle  called  us  from  our  slumbers  at  four  o'clock  the 
next  morning,  and  at  an  early  hour  we  were  crossing  the 
Kentucky  River  at  Clay's  Ferry,  named  in  honor  of  the  free 
soil  patriot,  Cassius  M.  Clay,  whose  splendid  plantation  lay  on 


MARCH  TO  RICHMOND.  39 

the  right  of  the  pike,  a  mile  or  so  south  of  the  river.  Mr.  Clay 
being  then  a  general  in  the  Union  army  and  of  national  repu- 
tation as  a  politician  and  statesman,  his  stately  mansion  was 
an  object  of  interest  to  us  as  we  passed.  At  three  o'clock  we 
entered  Richmond,  and,  greatly  to  our  delight,  saw  the  stars 
and  stripes  floating  from  nearly  every  house.  Many  were 
genuinely  loyal,  while  others  joined  in  the  demonstrations  of 
welcome  through  motives  of  policy.  It  was  the  first  Union 
regiment  they  had  seen  since  the  battle,  when  the  bluecoats 
went  flying  through  their  streets  hotly  pursued  by  the  rebels. 
A  few  of  the  wounded  were  still  there  in  the  hospital,  or  in 
private  houses,  under  the  care  of  Federal  surgeons  who  had 
remained  with  them.  Who  can  imagine  their  pleasure  at  our 
coming !  Marks  and  signs  of  the  battle  were  apparent  on 
every  side.  Spots  and  streaks  on  the  marble  slabs  and  monu- 
ments in  the  cemetery  adjoining  the  town  on  the  south,  made 
by  the  bullets  of  the  contending  forces  as  they  fought  through 
the  city  of  the  dead,  were  specially  noticeable.  There  were 
many  bullet  holes  in  trees  and  fences  and  other  evidences  of 
the  deadly  conflict. 


CHAPTER  V. 


MARCHES  IN  KENTUCKY  AND  TENNESSEE. 

We  were  assigned  a  camping  ground  in  a  woods  pasture 
about  a  mile  south  of  town,  and  were  soon  as  comfortable 
as  we  knew  how  to  make  ourselves,  but  we  did  not  yet  know 
how  to  make  a  camp  comfortable,  much  less  healthful.  The 
officers  were  quite  as  ignorant  of  the  requisites  of  healthful 
camp  life  as  were  the  men.  One  of  the  worst  evils  was  the 
making  of  beds  of  straw  on  the  damp  ground  in  the  tents  and 
using  them  for  days  without  airing.  This  ignorance  brought 
its  penalty  in  sickness  and  death ;  one  hundred  were  left  sick 
at  Lexington,  unable  to  march,  and  soon  after  our  arrival  at 
Richmond,  150  more  were  on  the  sick  list.  On  December 
ist  we  moved  our  camp  to  a  beautiful  poplar  woods  pasture 
adjoining  the  cemetery  and  only  a  half  mile  from  town.  It 
was  a  splendid  camping  ground  and  our  boys  quickly  made 
preparations  to  enjoy  it ;  the  tents  were  put  in  order,  chim- 
neys and  fire  places  built  and  in  every  way  preparations  were 
made  for  a  long  stay.  We  had  many  pleasant  days  and  some 
amusing  incidents  while  at  Richmond.  The  weather  was  gen- 
erally pleasant  and  though  we  were  mostly  occupied  in  drill- 
ing, we  found  opportunities  for  a  pretty  general  inspection 
of  the  surrounding  country.  The  citizens  usually  treated  us 
in  the  most  hospitable  manner.  The  writer  well  remembers 
some  fine  turkey  dinners  partaken  of  at  the  home  of  Mr. 
Doolin,  a  wealthy  shoe  merchant  in  the  place,  made  doubly  en- 
joyable by  the  company  of  his  amiable  daughter,  Miss  Nannie 
Belle,  and  his  most  agreeable  niece,  Miss  Sarah  J.  Thurman. 
Also  an  incident  of  a  country  ramble  in  company  with  Ser- 
geant Sloane  of  Company  E.  We  came  to  the  home  of  a 


IN  CAMP  AT  RICHMOND.  41 

Mr.  Bronson,  a  brother-in-law  of  Gen.  L.  H.  Rousseau,  and 
found  some  soldiers  of  the  i4th  Kentucky  regiment  helping 
themselves  to  the  poultry,  honey  and  other  good  things  with 
which  the  splendid  farm  abounded.  This  we  thought  hardly 
in  good  form,  considering  the  hospitable  treatment  we  had 
received,  so  assuming  an  air  of  authority  we  ordered  them 
out,  and,  strange  to  say,  they  promptly  obeyed  our  command. 
Mrs.  Bronson  was  so  delighted  at  our  interference  that  she 
invited  us  to  a  most  excellent  dinner  that  had  been  prepared 
for  some  visiting  friends. 

The  more  prominent  citizens  of  Richmond  were  especially 
friendly  in  their  manner  toward  us.  Judge  Goodloe,  a  promi- 
nent Unionist,  frequently  visited  the  camp,  sometimes  bring- 
ing his  daughters  with  him.  The  young  ladies  were  fine  sing- 
ers and  enlivened  the  camp  on  such  occasions  with  stirring 
patriotic  songs.  On  Sundays  many  of  us  attended  services  in 
the  town  churches,  and  were  always  given  a  cordial  welcome. 
It  was  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  find  one  of  our  preacher 
officers  in  the  pulpit  filling  the  place  of  the  pastor.  Of  course 
by  daily  drills  we  were  learning  something  of  the  duty  of  sol- 
diers. Still  there  was  much  to  learn  among  both  officers  and 
men.  The  I4th  Kentucky  Infantry  and  2ist  Indiana  Battery 
had  joined  us,  and  Colonel  Moore  being  the  senior  officer 
present,  became  post  commander.  This  gave  rise  to  a  rumor 
that  he  had  been  made  a  brigadier-general,  and  some  of  the 
knowing  officers  saw  a  chance  for  some  fun  in  the  matter  and 
encouraged  this  idea,  industriously  circulating  the  story  that 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Kinman  had  been  promoted  to  colonel 
and  Major  Poteet  to  lieutenant-colonel,  and,  of  course,  the 
senior  captain  would  be  major.  A  meeting  of  the  officers  was 
held  to  ratify  this,  as  they  claimed,  most  natural  result. 
Speeches  were  made  complimenting  the  senior  captain  and 
congratulating  him  on  his  early  promotion.  A  case  of  wine 
was  brought  in  and  a  high  jollification  occurred  over  the  event. 
However,  the  senior  captain  was  the  only  one  not  in  the  secret 
of  the  affair.  He  was  too  good  and  unsuspecting  to  believe 
that  his  fellow  officers  would  be  guilty  of  practicing  any  decep- 
tion on  him. 


42  A  FALSE  ALARM. 

The  merry-making  came  to  an  end  at  the  sound  of  taps, 
and  soon  all  the  camp  was  dark  and  quiet  and  most  of  the 
officers  and  men  were  in  their  bunks.  But  the  fun  of  the 
night  was  not  over.  Rumors  had  been  heard  from  time  to  time 
that  Gen.  John  Morgan  was  making  a  raid  in  southern  Ken- 
tucky and  was  liable  to  make  a  run  into  the  blue-grass  region 
at  any  time.  These  rumors  were  more  or  less  a  subject  of  con- 
versation among  the  boys  and  were  frequently  in  their  minds. 
The  night  in  question  the  usual  guard  surrounded  the  camp. 
About  an  hour  after  all  had  become  quiet  a  solitary  shot  was 
heard  out  in  the  field  to  the  south  of  our  camp.  Immediately 
the  sentinel  nearest  fired  his  gun  and  the  guards  all  around 
the  line  followed  his  example  in  quick  succession.  It  was  our 
first  alarm;  all  were  in  bed  and  many  asleep.  At  the  sound 
of  the  first  shot  the  drum  corps  tumbled  out  and  most  vigor- 
ously beat  the  long  roll.  Imagine,  reader,  if  you  can,  the  ex- 
citement and  confusion  that  followed.  The  haste  of  dressing 
at  the  time  of  a  hotel  fire  is  not  to  be  compared  to  the  speed 
with  which  the  men  got  into  their  clothes  that  night.  And 
such  expressions  as  were  heard  meantime !  "Now  we'll  see 
who'll  fight,"  "Let  the  cowards  go  to  the  rear,"  "Who  is  on 
the  sick  list  now,"  and  similar  exclamations  were  heard  right 
and  left. 

The  lieutenant-colonel  was  promptly  in  position  calling  the 
several  companies  to  their  places  in  line.  He  directed  the 
major  to  take  charge  of  the  left  wing  and  cautiously  move  for- 
ward over  the  ravine  that  ran  along  the  south  side  of  our 
camp,  sending  skirmishers  in  advance,  while  he  in  command 
of  the  right  wing  made  a  similar  demonstration  farther  to 
the  right.  The  firing  had  ceased  and  the  skirmishers  found 
no  enemy  in  front.  It  soon  became  apparent  to  all  that  it 
was  a  false  alarm.  Many  of  the  men  fired  their  guns  to 
add  to  the  sport,  and  soon  all  were  back  in  their  tents.  The 
cause  of  the  alarm  was  long  a  secret,  in  fact,  was  not  exten- 
sively known  to  the  end  of  our  service,  but  finally  became 
known  to  a  few.  Captain  Slocum  was  officer  of  the  day  and 
Sergeant  Whittaker  sergeant  of  the  guard.  They  decided  to 
continue  the  sport  of  the  evening  longer  than  the  others  had 


CHAS.  W.  JEROME.  ENOCH  W.  MOORE,  M.  D. 

R.  Q.  M.  SURGEON. 

LIEUT.  A.  LITSENBERGER. 

ADJUTANT. 
MAJ.  JNO.  W.  LAPHAM.  CHAPLAIN  RICHARD  HOLDING. 


NEARLY  A  DUEL.  43 

planned,  and  at  the  same  time  test  the  speed  of  the  regiment 
in  getting  ready  for  action.  Their  plan  was  well  laid.  The  ser- 
geant, apparently  by  order  of  his  superiors,  went  to  the  first 
guard  and  told  him  an  attack  was  not  unexpected,  and  that  if 
he  heard  any  firing  in  front  he  should  discharge  his  gun  as  a 
signal.  The  next  man  was  told  the  same  thing,  and  so  on 
orders  were  given  all  around  the  line.  Of  course  the  sergeant 
fired  the  shot  in  front  and  the  guards  in  regular  order  did  the 
rest,  all  except  the  captain  and  sergeant  being  ignorant  of  the 
scheme. 

While  at  Richmond,  Rev.  Richard  Holding  reported  to  the 
regiment  as  chaplain,  Chaplain  Bradshaw  having  resigned  be- 
cause of  disability.  Chaplain  Holding  remained  with  us  but 
a  few  months,  however.  His  health  failing,  he  returned  his 
commission  to  the  governor,  without  being  mustered  and  went 
home.  He  was  too  conscientious  to  be  mustered  into  the 
service  when  he  knew  he  was  not  able  for  the  work.  About 
the  middle  of  December  the  rumors  of  an  expected  raid  from 
Gen.  John  Morgan's  cavalry  being  renewed  with  appearance  of 
truth,  we  were  reenforced  by  the  second  brigade  of  the  sec- 
ond division,  composed  of  the  44th,  looth,  iO3d  and  io4th 
Ohio  regiments,  a  battery  and  a  regiment  of  cavalry,  they  tak- 
ing position  on  the  ridge  near  Danville  pike,  to  the  west 
of  the  town.  All  the  beautiful  poplar  and  sugar  trees  in  the 
grove  lately  occupied  by  our  camp,  were  felled  to  the  ground 
to  give  range  to  our  artillery.  "Fatigue"  parties  were  regu- 
larly detailed  and  soon  considerable  show  of  breastworks  ap- 
peared. 

About  this  time  another  "contraband"  incident  gave  excite- 
ment to  the  camp.  A  slave  boy,  ungrateful  for  the  kindness 
of  his  master  or  caring  more  for  liberty  than  the  "old  Ken- 
tucky home,"  sought  refuge  from  his  pursuers  with  our  regi- 
ment. Captain  Steele  and  Sergeant  Sloane  were  again  con- 
spicuous as  the  slave's  friends,  and  active  in  devising  means 
for  keeping  him  hid  from  his  master.  The  latter  came  to  the 
camp  in  a  great  rage  hunting  his  "lawful  property."  He  was 
accompanied  by  a  lawyer  named  Stone,  who  was  not  only 
zealous  in  his  efforts  to  serve  his  client,  but  very  severe  in 


44  AT  DANVILLE. 

condemnation  of  all  who  might  in  any  way  be  responsible  for 
the  concealment  of  the  boy.  He  was  prepared  to  take  him  on 
a  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  but  it  was  finding  before  taking. 
Captain  Steele  resented  Stone's  insinuations  as  to  "negro 
thieves,"  and  made  some  caustic  reference  to  the  lawyer's 
methods  of  practice.  The  gentleman's  honor  was  touched  and 
a  challenge  was  at  once  sent  to  our  freedom  loving  captain 
to  settle  the  matter  in  the  "only  way  known  to  gentlemen." 
This  Captain  Steele  as  promptly  accepted,  and  through  his 
second  designated  pistols  as  the  weapons. 

This  history  will  not  tell  what  would  have  been  the  result 
if  the  duel  had  taken  place,  for  the  colonel,  getting  a  hint  of 
the  affair,  ordered  Captain  Steele  to  take  command  of  the 
guards,  which  kept  him  on  duty,  and  gave  no  opportunity  for 
a  meeting  with  his  adversary  till  the  next  day.  In  the  mean- 
time we  had  received  marching  orders,  and  by  noon  were  on 
the  road  toward  Danville,  the  colonel  taking  very  good  care 
to  see  that  the  captain  was  continuously  with  his  company. 
The  road  was  one  of  those  celebrated  Kentucky  pikes,  over 
a  gently  rolling  country,  through  that  lovely  blue-grass  re- 
gion. The  day  was  fine  and  by  nightfall  we  had  covered  a 
distance  of  ten  miles,  and  had  pitched  our  tents  on  a  beauti- 
ful wooded  slope.  The  I4th  Kentucky  and  2ist  Indiana  Bat- 
tery came  with  us,  the  Ohio  brigade  following  later.  The 
next  day  we  had  a  moderate  march  of  about  a  dozen  miles, 
passing  the  town  of  Lancaster  and  some  other  villages  with- 
out incident  of  note.  The  next  morning,  December  22d,  we 
resumed  the  march  and  at  three  or  four  o'clock  reached  Dan- 
ville, and  went  into  camp  adjoining  the  town  on  the  south- 
west. Here  we  found  an  army  of  some  10,000  men  including 
the  other  regiments  of  our  brigade,  the  Q2d  and  96th  Illinois 
Infantry,  also  the  other  brigade  of  our  division,  Col.  John  Co- 
burn  commanding.  Col.  P.  T.  Swain  having  been  ordered  to 
his  regiment,  Colonel  Cochran,of  the  I4th  Kentucky,  being  the 
senior  colonel,  was  now  in  command  of  our  brigade. 

Danville  was  one  of  the  best  Kentucky  cities  and  the  home 
of  many  of  its  prominent  citizens.  Among  them  the  fearless 
Unionist  and  celebrated  divine,  the  Rev.  Robert  Breckinridge, 


A  MORGAN  RAID.  45 

D.  D.,  was  conspicuous  in  many  ways.  He  was  a  leader  in 
the  work  of  holding  Kentucky  to  the  Union,  and  thought  it 
entirely  consistent  with  his  sacred  calling  to  take  the  r.  rop 
for  his  country  and  do  all  in  his  power  to  rally  his  ^  ople 
under  its  flag.  He  was  the  uncle  of  Vice-President  John  C. 
Breckinridge,  then  a  Confederate  major-general,  and  the 
father  of  Col.  W.  C.  P.  Breckinridge,  since  prominent  in  Con- 
gress. The  writer  had  the  honor  of  doing  a  day's  guard  duty 
in  front  of  Dr.  Breckinridge's  house,  and  the  pleasure  of 
receiving  a  very  nice  lunch  from  the  hands  of  Mrs.  Breckin- 
ridge during  his  stay.  Center  College,  a  prominent  institu- 
tion of  learning  under  the  care  of  the  Presbyterians,  is  located 
at  Danville.  Naturally  its  influence  went  with  Dr.  Breckin- 
ridge in  support  of  the  Union. 

On  the  29th  another  Morgan  raid  was  reported ;  this  time 
he  was  in  fact  moving  upon  the  town  of  Lebanon,  twenty-eight 
miles  distant.  General  Baird  was  ordered  to  move  our  divis- 
ion of  two  brigades  and  two  batteries  to  the  support  of  the 
garrison  at  Lebanon  with  all  practicable  speed.  We  were 
quickly  in  line  and  on  the  way,  but  soon  after  the  march  was 
commenced  there  began  a  steady  pour-down  rain  which  con- 
tinued all  day.  However,  we  moved  forward  regardless  of  the 
weather  and  before  night  we  had  covered  more  than  15  miles 
and  halted  for  the  night.  Soon  after  d,\rk  the  rain  again 
poured  down  in  torrents,  fairly  flooding  our  camp.  It  was 
a  fearful  march  that  day  and  an  awful  night.  The  next  morn- 
ing at  two  o'clock  orders  were  received  from  General  Baird 
[or  the  1 1 5th,  accompanied  by  one  other  regiment,  to  move 
without  encumbrance  in  hopes  that  we  might  reach  Lebanon 
in  time  to  succor  the  garrison,  but  by  the  time  the  column  was 
ready  to  move,  the  general  received  a  dispatch  that  Morgan 
had  already  captured  the  force  at  Lebanon,  and  was  then 
making  a  hasty  retreat  toward  the  South.  There  being  no  oc- 
casion for  our  presence  at  Lebanon,  as  soon  as  our  breakfast 
was  over,  the  division  started  on  the  return  march  to  Dan- 
ville, which  we  reached  a  little  before  night  and  resumed  our 
respective  places  in  the  old  camp. 


46  DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  CUMBERLAND. 

That  was  a  trip  filled  with  experience  in  real  soldier  life. 
Much  loss  was  suffered  by  disease  contracted  by  exposure  to 
the  storm.  Second  Lieut.  A.  C.  Allinson  of  Company  E  was 
taken  down  with  fever  from  that  cause,  from  which  he  did 
not  rise  for  many  weeks,  and  was  then  compelled  to  resign 
because  of  continued  disability.  Although  Danville  is  an  ex- 
ceptionally healthful  place,  and  good  health  prevailed  generally 
among  the  citizens,  because  of  our  exposure  and  ignorance  of 
proper  camp  life,  great  numbers  of  our  men  were  taken  from 
us  by  disease.  The  doleful  funeral  march  was  heard  almost 
daily,  and  many  of  our  most  valued  men  were  left  in  the 
Danville  cemetery.  Among  them  were  three  stalwart  broth- 
ers, Benjamin,  Michael  and  James  Ramsey,  of  Company  E. 
They  had  been  looked  upon  as  the  finest  specimens  of  physical 
manhood  in  the  company,  and  the  most  able  to  stand  hard- 
ships, from  the  fact  that  they  had  been  brought  up  on  the 
farm  and  accustomed  to  hard  work.  Measles  was  the  greatest 
scourge.  Great  numbers  were  so  afflicted,  and  many  cases 
turning  into  pneumonia  proved  fatal.  At  one  time  nearly 
two-thirds  of  the  regiment  were  in  the  hospital  or  on  the  sick 
list  in  camp. 

On  the  3Oth  of  December  we  had  another  Morgan  alarm, 
our  pickets  being  driven  in  on  the  Lebanon  pike ;  we  were 
ordered  to  be  ready  for  action  at  a  moment's  notice.  The  next 
day  our  cavalry  brought  in  52  of  Morgan's  men  as  prisoners. 
About  that  time  Company  I,  under  command  of  Captain  New- 
man, was  sent  to  Boone  Cave  to  guard  the  bridge  across  the 
Kentucky  River  at  that  point.  After  a  few  days  of  that  duty 
the  company  was  ordered  to  Dick  River  Bridge,  between 
Camp  Dick  Robinson  and  Danville,  where  it  remained  guard- 
ing that  bridge  and  incidentally  sampling  Kentucky  honey, 
poultry,  etc.,  until  the  regiment  was  ordered  to  leave  Danville. 
On  the  3Oth  of  December  First  Lieut.  Arthur  C.  Bankson, 
of  Company  A,  resigned  on  account  of  physical  disability,  Sec- 
ond Lieut.  Jesse  Hanon  being  promoted  to  the  position  and 
Sergt.  Joseph  B.  Gore  to  the  second  lieutenancy. 

In  the  latter  part  of  October,  1862,  Maj.-Gen.  Don  Carlos 
Buell  was  relieved  of  the  command  of  the  Department  of  the 


FIRST  SERGT.  G.  \V.  SUMTER. 
COMPANY  K. 


MURFREESBORO.  47 

Ohio,  and  Maj.-Gen.  W.  S.  Rosecrans  was  given  the  command 
of  the  Department  of  the  Cumberland,  composed  mainly  of  the 
same  troops.  Orders  were  at  once  issued  for  the  concentration 
of  the  army  at  Nashville.  Six  divisions  were  then  at  Bowling 
Green,  Ky.,  and  others  at  Glasgow  and  points  in  that  vicinity. 
General  Bragg's  advance  was  at  Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  threat- 
ening Nashville.  Although  General  Rosecrans  found  his  army 
much  in  need  of  rest,  drilling,  discipline  and  re-equipment,  the 
urgency  of  the  situation  led  him  to  move  as  quickly  as  possible. 
Nashville  had  been  in  a  state  of  siege  since  Bragg's  advance 
into  Kentucky,  and  was  not  relieved  till  the  arrival  of  Mc- 
Cook's  and  Crittenden's  corps  on  November  9th. 

On  November  7th  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  was  re- 
organized, Maj.-Gen.  G.  H.  Thomas  being  placed  in  command 
of  the  center,  composed  of  the  divisions  commanded  by  Gener- 
als Rousseau,  Negley,  Dumont  and  Fry.  Maj.-Gen. 
A.  D.  McCook  was  given  command  of  the  right  wing,  with 
the  divisions  of  Generals  Sheridan,  Johnson  and  Davis,  while 
Major-General  Crittendon  was  given  the  left  wing,  composed 
of  the  divisions  of  Generals  Wood,  Palmer  and  Van  Cleve. 
These  wings  subsequently  became  the  I4th,  2Oth  and  2ist 
Army  Corps  respectively.  The  Louisville  &  Nashville  Rail- 
road was  again  open  and  being  vigorously  used  in  behalf  of 
the  Government.  Before  the  middle  of  November,  General 
Rosecrans  had  established  his  headquarters  in  Nashville,  and 
was  pushing  the  work  of  preparing  his  army  for  an  effective 
campaign  into  the  enemy's  country.  Numerous  skirmishes 
occurred  from  time  to  time.  Early  in  December,  Col.  A.  B. 
M.oore  surrendered  his  command  of  1,400  men  at  Hartsville 
to  the  Confederate  General  Morgan,  a  disgrace  long  keenly  felt 
by  our  army.  About  that  time  Gen.  D.  S.  Stanley,  recently 
from  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  assumed  command  of  the 
cavalry  forces  of  the  department. 

General  Bragg  had  his  headquarters  at  Murfreesboro,  thirty 
miles  southeast  of  Nashville,  and  his  army  was  encamped  in 
the  vicinity,  with  outposts  at  Lavergne,  Nolensville  and  Tri- 
une. The  course  of  Stone  River  is  from  south  to  north  to  a 
point  a  mile  or  so  west  of  Murfreesboro  and  thence  nearly 


48  BATTLE  OF  STONE  RIVER. 

northwest.  The  Nashville  pike  and  Nashville  &  Chattanooga 
Railroad  run  nearly  northwest  from  the  town,  crossing  each 
other  at  a  sharp  angle  a  mile  west  of  the  river,  and  both  keep- 
ing near  the  course  of  the  river  for  some  distance.  The  Wil- 
kinson pike  runs  slightly  north  of  west  and  the  Franklin  road 
directly  west.  The  country  to  the  west  of  the  river  is  rolling, 
partly  cleared  but  containing  extensive  cedar  thickets.  Such 
was  the  field  of  the  Battle  of  Stone  River. 

On  the  26th  of  December  General  Rosecrans  began  his  for- 
ward movements.  The  next  day  Sheridan's  and  Johnson's 
divisions  of  McCook's  corps  drove  Hardee  from  Nolensville 
and  Triune,  while  General  Wood  took  Lavergne  and  pushed 
on  to  the  neighborhood  of  Stone  River,  on  the  Nashville 
pike.  On  the  evening  of  the  3Oth  the  two  armies  were  in  po- 
sition ready  for  action.  General  Bragg  had  advanced  his  army 
to  the  west  side  of  the  river.  Cheatham's  and  Wither's  divis- 
ions of  Folk's  corps  occupied  the  center,  covering  the  Wil- 
kinson pike.  Cleburn's  and  McCown's  divisions  of  Harclee's 
corps  were  posted  on  his  left  near  the  Franklin  road,  while 
Breckenridge's  division  was  on  the  right  covering  the  Nash- 
ville pike  and  extending  across  the  river.  The  Union  forces, 
also  in  three  corps  and  not  greatly  differing  from  the  Confed- 
erates in  strength,  were  in  position  not  more  than  a  mile  to 
the  west  of  them.  General  McCook  commanded  the  right 
wing,  consisting  of  Johnson's,  Davis'  and  Sheridan's  divisions 
in  that  order  from  right  to  left ;  Rousseau's  and  Negley's  di- 
visions, under  General  Thomas,  were  in  the  center  between  the 
Nashville  and  Wilkinson  pikes ;  Crittenden's  corps,  composed 
of  Palmer's,  Wood's  and  Van  Cleve's  divisions  constituted  the 
left  wing  and  extended  from  the  Nashville  pike  north  across 
the  river  and  confronted  Breckenridge's  position. 

Hardee's  left  extended  far  beyond  McCook's  right,  which 
gave  him  a  great  advantage.  At  daylight  on  the  3ist  Hardee's 
Confederates  attacked  McCook's  right  with  great  fury.  Wil- 
lich's  brigade,  on  the  extreme  right,  soon  gave  way,  General 
Willich  being  captured  in  an  attempt  to  join  his  brigade. 
Kirk's  brigade,  next  to  the  left,  quickly  followed,  the  gallant 
General  Kirk"  being  killed.  The  conflict  soon  became  general 


BATTLE  OF  STONE  RIVER.  49 

all  along  the  line  from  the  right  to  the  center.  Brigade  after 
brigade  gave  way  before  Hardee's  and  Folk's  exultant  Con- 
federates, until  our  right  had  been  carried  back  two  or  three 
miles,  so  that  the  entire  right  and  center  faced  the  south  at 
right  angles  to  their  position  in  the  morning. 

In  the  meantime,  in  accordance  with  Rosecrans'  plan  of  bat- 
tle, Van  Cleve's  division  of  Crittenden's  corps  had  crossed  the 
river  with  the  view  of  attacking  Breckenridge's  division,  but 
before  much  progress  was  made  Rosecrans  was  advised  of  Mc- 
Cook's  reverse  and  recalled  this  movement,  sending  two  brig- 
ades of  that  division  and  one  of  Wood's  division  down  the 
Nashville  pike  to  the  support  of.McCook's  right.  About  the 
same  time,  Thomas'  corps,  taking  advantageous  ground  in  the 
new  position,  repeatedly  repulsed  the  assaults  of  the  enemy, 
inflicting  great  loss  on  them.  Although  the  Confederates  had 
greatly  the 'advantage  in  the  first  half  of  the  day,  every  point 
they  gained  was  at  great  cost  of  men.  So  badly  were  they  hurt 
that  when  night  put  an  end  to  the  first  day's  conflict  they  were 
ready  to  quit. 

The  next  day  was  'devoted  by  the  Union  forces  to  reor- 
ganization and  preparation  for  renewing  the  battle.  The  Con- 
federates were  gathering  up  the  wounded  and  burying  the 
dead.  Bragg  hoped  Rosecrans  would  retreat  and  gave  him 
time  to  do  it.  On  the  2cl  of  January,  finding  the  Union  forces 
still  there,  he  ordered  Breckenridge  to  attack  the  Union  left, 
which  he  did  with  great  vigor,  but  was  repulsed  with  much 
loss  by  a  portion  of  Crittenden's  corps ;  in  this  engagement 
the  artillery  played  a  conspicuous  part.  The  retreat  of  Bragg's 
army  began  that  night,  and  the  next  morning  found  them  well 
on  the  way  to  Tullahoma,  where  General  Bragg  made  his  next 
stand.  Not  being  ready  for  a  further  advance,  the  Army  of 
the  Cumberland  went  into  winter  quarters  at  Murfreesboro 
and  vicinity. 

There  was  no  longer  need  of  any  considerable  force  of  Union 
troops  in  Kentucky.  The  field  of  military  operations  had  shifted 
to  middle  Tennessee.  The  Confederates  had  been  put  on  the 
defensive,  and  the  objective  point  of  the  next  movement  of 


50  MARCH  TO  LOUISVILLE. 

the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  was  the  stronghold,  Chattanooga. 
Naturally  the  Army  of  Kentucky  was  ordered  to  Tennessee. 

The  march  to  Louisville  began  on  January  26th,  and  we 
occupied  nearly  five  days  in  covering  the  distance  of  85  miles, 
the  route  being  by  way  of  Harrodsburg,  Lawrenceburg  and 
Shelbyville.  A  few  regiments  were  left  to  guard  the  sacred 
soil  of  Kentucky,  among  them  the  I4th  Kentucky  Infantry 
that  had  thus  far  been  brigaded  with  us,  but  with  these  ex- 
ceptions the  entire  Army  of  Kentucky  was  in  the  movement. 
The  daily  march  was  about  17  miles,  quite  enough  to  make 
us  sleep  well  at  night.  The  usual  drafts  on  Kentucky  straw 
stacks  and  beehives  were  made.  One  incident  is  brought  to 
mind.  As  the  day  was  well  nigh  spent  and  it  was  thought  we 
would  soon  go  into  camp,  some  of  Company  E  observed  a 
bee-shed  at  the  end  of  a  farm-house,  in  which,  from  the  number 
of  hives,  they  supposed  the  stock  of  honey  entirely  too  great 
for  the  needs  of  the  family,  and  so  planned  to  return  and  take 
care  of  the  surplus.  It  was  quite  a  while,  however,  before 
the  halt  was  made,  but  unmindful  of  the  distance,  the  boys 
started  back  as  soon  as  possible.  Though  already  quite  tired, 
and  finding  the  distance  much  greater  than  they  supposed, 
they  kept  on  for  perhaps  three  or  four  miles  from  camp ;  fin- 
ally the  place  was  reached  and  passed  a  few  hundred  yards, 
to  give  the  appearance  of  a  party  of  stragglers  far  in  the  rear  of 
the  main  body.  Then  the  party  divided,  two  of  them  going 
boldly  up  to  the  house  and  asking  permission  to  warm,  while 
the  remaining  three  each  took  a  gum  full  of  honey  and  started 
down  the  pike.  It  soon  came  the  turn  of  the  "bold  ones"  to 
be  put  to  their  metal,  for  the  man  of  the  house  having  learned 
that  other  soldiers  had  taken  his  choicest  honey,  became  sus- 
picious and  accused  them  of  being  of  the  same  party,  which 
they  stoutly  denied.  To  add  to  their  discomfort,  two  or  three 
butternut-clad  natives  came  marching  down  stairs  into  the 
room  in  a  very  threatening  manner.  However,  persistent  de- 
nials and  a  pretense  at  being  insulted  by  the  insinuations,  saved 
the  boys  from  further  trouble  and  they,  being  sufficiently 
warmed,  were  soon  making  long  strides  to  catch  up  with  the 
honey  party. 


ON  TRANSPORTS.  51 

On  the  3ist  the  command  marched  through  the  city  of 
Louisville  and  down  to  Portland,  three  miles  below  the  city, 
where  the  entire  force  was  embarked  on  transport  steamers, 
the  H5th  being  given  two  small  steamers,  the  "Leonora"  and 
the  "New  York."  Companies  A,  C,  D,  F,  H,  and  I  were 
placed  on  the  "Leonora,"  and  B,  E,  G  and  K  on  the  "New 
York."  The  fleet  consisted  of  all  sorts  of  river  steamboats 
from  the  great  "Jacob  Strader"  and  "Telegraph  No.  3"  to  the 
little  stern-wheelers  common  on  the  smaller  rivers.  The  work 
of  loading  the  troops  and  camp  and  garrison  equipage  occu- 
pied two  days. 

February  2d  the  voyage  was  begun.  Among  the  rank  and 
file  there  was  much  speculation  as  to  our  destination,  whether 
down  the  Mississippi  to  join  the  forces  in  front  of  Vicksburg, 
or  to  Nashville  to  reenforce  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland. 
All  doubts  were  removed,  however,  when  we  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  Cumberland  River  and  our  fleet  turned  up  that 
stream.  It  was  then  clear  that  we  were  to  form  a  part  of  Rose- 
crans'  gallant  army.  In  the  convoy  of  eight  gunboats  our 
fleet  started  up  the  Cumberland  early  on  the  4th.  Very  soon 
rumors  came  of  a  fight  at  Fort  Donelson,  and  a  little  later 
we  began  to  meet  floating  bales  of  hay — several  hundred  of 
them  which  the  natives  were  trying  to  capture. 

About  2  p.  m.  we  reached  Fort  Donelson,  and  learned  of 
the  gallant  defense  of  the  place  made  by  the  83d  Illinois  In- 
fantry against  5,000  or  more  Confederates,  under  Generals 
Wheeler  and  Forrest.  The  Union  forces  of  about  700  infantry 
and  a  field  battery  of  four  guns  and  two  siege  pieces  held  their 
ground  with  a  loss  of  13  killed,  40  wounded  and  8  captured, 
while  the  Confederates  left  150  dead,  many  wounded  and  70 
prisoners.  Possibly  the  timely  arrival  of  four  gunboats  at  the 
head  of  our  fleet  had  something  to  do  with  the  hasty  retreat 
of  the  Confederates.  We  were  permitted  to  go  ashore  and 
view  the  famed  battlefield  of  the  previous  year  and  the  fort 
that  yielded  to  "Unconditional  Surrender  Grant."  The  Con- 
federate dead  were  still  lying  as  they  fell,  presenting  a  ghastly 
sight  to  us,  who  had  never  seen  any  real  war.  The  next  day 
our  fleet  moved  forward,  a  portion  of  the  boats  being  lashed 


52  ARRIVAL  AT  NASHVILLE. 

together  in  pairs.  The  fleet,  consisting-  of  more  than  sixty 
vessels,  filled  the  river  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  We  passed 
some  very  fine  scenery,  high  bluffs  and  bold  precipices. 
Among  the  objects  of  interest  were  Forts  Riley  and  Zollicof- 
fer,  built  by  the  rebels  and  abandoned  after  the  fall  of  Fort 
Donelson.  Near  Harpeth  Shoals  we  saw  the  wrecks  of  two 
steamers  that  had  been  burned  by  the  enemy  a  short  time  be- 
fore our  arrival.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  7th  we  came  in  sight 
of  Nashville,  the  most  conspicuous  object  being  its  famed 
State  Capitol. 

With  flags  flying,  drums  beating  and  hearty  cheering  from 
the  thousands  of  soldiers  covering  a  half  a  hundred  decks  and 
the  adjacent  shores,  our  fleet  was  moored  in  front  of  the  city. 
But  not  a  word  of  welcome  came  from  the  citizens.  They  did 
not  want  us  and  did  not  care  to  make  any  demonstration  on 
account  of  our  coming.  Early  on  the  8th  our  command  began 
unloading.  We  had  been  so  crowded  on  the  boats,  and  the 
cabins  had  thereby  become  so  foul  that  all  were  heartily  glad 
to  leave  them.  It  had  been  too  cold  to  sleep  on  deck  without 
discomfort,  and  the  great  number  of  men  lying  on  the  cabin 
floors,  as  well  as  crowding  all  the  berths  every  night,  made 
the  air  so  impure  that  many  were  ready  for  the  hospital  by 
the  time  we  were  permitted  to  breathe  pure  air  again.  All 
were  anxious  to  be  on  land,  hence  they  made  rapid  work  of 
it,  and  soon  after  noon  we  were  marching  through  the  city  and 
out  on  the  Franklin  pike  about  three  miles,  where  we  went 
into  camp  near  a  small  creek.  The  ground  was  wet  and  un- 
inviting as  a  place  of  residence,  but  we  made  the  best  of  it. 
Straw  for  bedding  was  out  of  the  question,  as  none  could  be 
found.  Weeds  and  the  boughs  of  trees  were  made  to  do 
service. 

The  poisons  taken  by  the  men  while  on  the  boats  began  to 
bear  fruit  in  a  rich  harvest  of  typhiod  fever,  pneumonia  and 
similar  deadly  complaints.  The  regimental  field  hospital — a 
tent  about  30  by  50  feet — was  soon  full  and  many  were  sent  to 
the  general  hospitals  in  Nashville.  From  these  places  very 
many  were  carried  to  their  long  home  in  the  soldiers'  cemetery. 


LOTON  G.  WILLIAMS. 
COMPANY  E. 


SICKNESS  IN  THE  REGIMENT.  53 

The  writer  was  one  of  the  sufferers  from  typhoid  fever,  with 
strong  symptoms  of  pneumonia.  Judging  by  the  results  with  oth- 
ers having  similar  symptoms,  nearly  all  of  whom  died,  the  sur- 
geons thought  there  was  very  little  probability  of  his  recovery. 
It  was  their  habit  to  visit  all  the  patients  in  the  hospital  in 
the  morning  and  then  hold  a  consultation  as  to  the  treatment 
required.  One  morning  the  usual  round  had  been  made  and 
the  three  surgeons,  Drs.  Moore,  Blalock  and  Jones  were  in 
earnest  consultation.  For  want  of  a  better  place,  they  stood 
a  little  distance  from  the  rear  wall  of  the  hospital,  and  there 
went  over  the  list  of  the  sick.  Each  gave  his  opinion,  reme- 
dies were  suggested  and  lines  of  treatment  discussed.  The 
writer  lay  in  the  part  of  the  tent  nearest  the  doctors,  and  hav- 
ing made  a  small  slit  in  the  tent  that  he  might  be  able  to  see 
a  little  of  the  outer  world,  through  it  he  heard  the  voices,  and 
having  very  good  ears,  he  listened  with  perfect  attention  to 
the  doctors'  comments,  well  knowing  they  would  soon  reach 
his  case.  Finally  his  name  was  called  by  the  assistant  sur- 
geon, acting  as  clerk,  and  Dr.  Moore  remarked,  "Well,  of 
course,  Royse  will  die.  We  can  do  nothing  for  him  here. 
If  he  were  at  home  there  might  be  some  chance  for  him, 
but  what  hope  is  there  in  this  tent?"  Then  it  was  suggested 
that  he  be  sent  to  one  of  the  general  hospitals  in  the  city, 
which  was  agreed  to,  and  the  doctors  passed  to  the  next  name. 
This  did  not  suit  the  party  most  interested.  He  had  heard,  too 
much  of  the  numbers  carried  out  to  the  cemeteries  from  those 
hospitals,  and  determined  to  interpose  a  demurrer  to  the  pro- 
ceeding. Very  soon  Dr.  Moore  came  in  and  in  a  kindly  tone 
began  to  tell  that  patient  about  how  much  better  he  could 
be  cared  for  in  the  general  hospital,  and  of  the  desire  to  make 
him  more  comfortable  by  his  removal.  Imagine  the  doctor's 
surprise  when  the  patient  informed  him  that  he  knew  his  case 
better  than  the  doctors  and  was  not  going  to  die  if  given  a  fair 
chance,  at  the  same  time  making  it  known  that  he  had  over- 
heard the  consultation.  He  protested  stoutly  against  being 
taken  from  the  care  of  the  doctors  and  nurses  who  knew  him. 
As  a  matter  of  course,  he  was  master  of  the  situation,  and  re- 
mained in  the  field  hospital  till  able  to  walk  out. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


AT   NASHVILLE   AND    FRANKLIN. 

As  soon  as  we  were  well  settled  in  camp  the  usual  routine 
of  drilling  was  resumed.  Occasional  foraging  expeditions 
went  to  the  country  to  look  for  something  better  than  the 
army  rations.  Hogs  in  the  vicinity  were  particularly  "re- 
bellious," and  our  boys  made  it  a  rule  to  allow  no  hog  to  be 
"disloyal  to  them."  Consequently,  the  regulation  hardtack 
and  bacon  diet  was  frequently  changed  to  fresh  pork  and  corn 
dodger.  One  day  an  angry  citizen — professedly  "truly  loyal" 
— came  to  camp  and  reported  that  a  squad  of  the  H5th  men 
had  butchered  and  carried  off  his  hogs  in  the  presence  of  one  of 
our  officers,  Captain  Steele,  who  refused  to  interfere  when  re- 
quested to  do  so.  The  captain,  as  will  be  remembered,  was 
noted  for  his  disposition  to  fight  rebels  in  the  most  vigorous 
manner  possible,  and  was  not  careful  to  select  mild  methods 
or  soft  weapons.  He  had  not  left  his  comfortable  home  merely 
for  the  purpose  of  protecting  rebel  property,  and  he  did  not 
propose  to  soil  his  hands  with  any  such  service. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Kinman,  who  was  then  in  command  of 
the  regiment,  the  colonel  having  gone  home  on  a  brief  leave 
of  absence,  had  seen  service  enough  in  the  Black  Hawk  War 
and  in  Mexico  to  know  the  value  of  discipline.  In  his  view 
it  would  not  at  all  do  to  permit  an  officer  to  quietly  observe 
such  depredations  without  an  effort  to  prevent  them.  He  at 
once  ordered  the  adjutant  to  place  the  offending  captain  un- 
der arrest,  but  the  plucky  captain  refused  to  submit  because 
the  adjutant  was  his  inferior  in  rank.  The  lieutenant-colonel 
then  directed  a  senior  captain  to  put  him  under  arrest,  but 
again  Captain  Steele  determined  that  he  would  not  yield,  and 


DISLOYALTY  AT  THE  NORTH.  55 

as  he  saw  his  superior  officer  approaching,  he  tried  to  destroy 
his  sword  by  thrusting  it  into  the  ground  and  wrenching  it 
from  side  to  side  in  the  hope  that  he  would  break  it,  and  so 
have  no  "sword"  to  surrender.  However,  the  brave  but  ex- 
citable and  indiscreet  captain  was  no  match  for  the  powers  that 
were  over  him.  His  case  was  summarily  disposed  of  without 
the  formality  of  a  trial,  he  being  dismissed  from  the  service  by 
order  of  General  Rosecrans,  on  recommendation  of  the  lieuten- 
ant-colonel. 

While  at  Nashville  our  brigade  was  reenforced  by  the  addi- 
tion of  two  splendid  veteran  regiments,  the  4Oth  Ohio  and 
84th  Indiana.  These  regiments  had  seen  much  service  in 
eastern  Kentucky  and  with  General  Morgan  at  Cumberland 
Gap.  Our  brigade  now  being  made  up  of  the  92d,  96th  and 
1 1 5th  Illinois,  4Oth  Ohio  and  84th  Indiana,  under  command 
of  Col.  Smith  D.  Atkins,  of  the  p2d  Illinois.  The  latter  regi- 
ment remained  with  us  only  till  midsummer,  being  then 
mounted  and  attached  to  Wilder's  brigade.  The  other  four 
regiments  remained  together  till  the  end  of  their  service. 
They  were  thus  associated  in  their  greatest  conflicts  and  were 
known  as  the  "Iron  Brigade"  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 
Though  several  other  regiments  were  afterwards  attached  to 
the  brigade,  the  original  four  were  always  more  closely  asso- 
ciated in  friendly  feeling,  and  always  wanted  to  be  together  if 
real  work  was  expected.  They  constituted  the  brigade,  as 
they  looked  upon  it,  the  others  being  only  attached  to  it  for 
convenience. 

The  winter  had  been  noted  for  disloyal  demonstrations  in 
some  of  the  Northwestern  States.  Societies  known  as  the 
"Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle"  had  been  organized.  These 
organizations,  though  conducted  in  the  strictest  secrecy,  had 
many  sympathizers,  especially  in  southern  parts  of  Indiana 
and  Illinois.  They  were  hostile  to  the  plans  of  the  Government 
for  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion.  They  discouraged  enlist- 
ments anJ  opposed  the  draft;  in  fact,  they  were  opposed  to 
everything  the  administration  did  towards  putting  down  the 
rebellion.  They  were  active  politicians,  and  by  reason  of  the 
absence  of  so  many  of  the  most  pronounced  Union  men  in 


56  PATRIOTIC  RESOLUTIONS. 

the  army,  they  were  enabled  to  carry  a  majority  of  the  legis- 
lature in  some  of  those  States. 

It  was  a  time  when  the  army  needed  encouragement,  per- 
haps the  darkest  period  of  the  war.  In  such  a  time  these 
opponents  of  everything  done  by  loyal  men  were  busy  in  the 
legislatures  of  Indiana  and  Illinois  trying  to  secure  the  passage 
of  resolutions  condenming  the  operations  of  the  government 
and  calling  for  a  cessation  of  hostilities.  It  was  during  our 
stay  at  Nashville  that  news  of  these  proceedings  came  to  us. 
The  patriotism  of  the  soldiers  was  most  thoroughly  aroused. 
Meetings  of  the  various  regiments  were  held  and  resolutions 
adopted,  condemning  in  the  strongest  terms  the  disloyalty 
thus  manifested  in  the  North.  The  H5th  passed  them  nearly 
unanimously,  though  truth  requires  it  to  be  said  that  a  few 
voted  the  other  way.  The  Q2d  and  96th  Illinois  and  84th  Indi- 
ana gave  them  a  unanimous  vote.  As  a  reminder  to  our 
comrades  of  the  way  they  then  looked  on  such  things,  the 
resolutions  are  here  given  in  full. 

PREAMBLE  AND  RESOLUTIONS. 

Whereas,  We,  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  this  command, 
have,  in  common  with  our  comrades  in  arms,  cheerfully  periled 
our  lives  and  every  earthly  interest,  to  save  to  ourselves  and 
to  our  posterity,  a  country  and  a  Government,  the  same  which, 
in  historic  times,  were  bought  with  blood,  and  established  by 
that  quality  of  wisdom  which,  though  human,  seems  divine ; 
and, 

Whereas,  A  number  of  intriguing  demagogues  at  home 
have  recently,  by  word  and  act,  sought  to  create  disaffection 
among  us,  block  the  wheels  of  wise  legislation,  excite  dis- 
content in  the  public  mind,  and,  in  every  way,  to  baffle  all 
earnest  efforts  to  conquer  the  rebels ;  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  we  hold  in  utter  detestation  that  clique  of 
miscreants  in  the  loyal  States,  who,  under  the  garb  of  assumed 
loyalty,  use  the  stolen  revenue  of  arch  treason  to  e*»;ite  petty 
treason  in  their  own  communities  ;  who  have  no  censures  save 
for  the  officers  of  our  government,  no  complaints  save  that 
energetic  measures  are  employed  to  crush  the  rebellion,  no 


PATRIOTIC  RESOLUTIONS.  57 

aspirations,  save  to  embarrass  our  executive  and  legislative 
departments,  and  engender  mutinies  in  our  armies,  and  no 
hopes  save  for  an  ignoble  peace  and  the  substantial  triumph 
of  the  rebels ;  that  we  regard  them  as  enemies  to  our  country 
and  mankind,  who,  to  accomplish  their  hellish  purposes,  would 
not  hesitate  to  blot  forever  from  the  hopes  of  man  the  cher- 
ished thought  of  self-government ;  and  that  they  merit  the 
scorn  of  all  loyal  citizens  and  true-hearted  soldiers,  combining, 
as  they  do,  the  deep  guilt  of  the  traitor  with  the  essential  mean- 
ness of  the  coward. 

Resolved,  That,  despite  the  frenzied  efforts  of  our  foes 
before  us  and  the  despicable  intrigues  of  our  other  foes  behind 
us,  we  will  abate  not  one  jot  of  faith  or  hope ;  but,  believing 
the  maintenance  of  our  government  is  worth  all  the  cost  ex- 
pended in  its  establishment,  we  emphatically  assure  all  traitors 
at  home,  that  not  until  we  have  undergone  a  seven-years' 
struggle  (if  need  be)  will  we  cease  this  contest,  and  not  until 
we  have  experienced  such  sufferings  as  were  bravely  endured 
at  Valley  Forge,  will  we  begin  to  murmur.  By  all  the  sac- 
rifices already  made  and  hardships  endured  by  us,  by  all  the 
sufferings  of  our  comrades  in  hospitals  and  camp,  by  all  the 
precious  blood  which  has  encrimsoned  our  Eastern  and  West- 
ern waters,  by  all  the  hearths  made  desolate  and  heart-strings 
rent  asunder  because  of  this  wicked  rebellion,  we  do  solemnly 
pledge  our  honor  as  Americans  and  soldiers  to  see  this  contest 
through  to  a  successful  issue,  or  yield  up  our  lives  a  willing 
sacrifice  to  our  country's  weal. 

Resolved,  That  we  are  utterly  opposed  to  any  armistice  or 
cessation  of  hostilities  until  our  glorious  flag  of  thirty-four 
stars  waves  triumphantly  from  the  dome  of  every  Capitol  in 
our  land. 

Resolved,  That  we  fully  and  unequivocally  endorse  the  pol- 
icy of  our  civil  rulers  in  using  all  necessary  means  to  strike 
decisive  blows  at  the  unholy  rebellion,  and  to  bring  the  war  to 
a  speedy,  sure  and  glorious  termination,  so  that  traitors  in 
the  South  may  meet  with  deserved  punishment,  and  damnable 
traitors  in  the  North  may  be  brought  to  a  terrible  justice,  "that 
hemp  be  not  created  in  vain." 


58  CAPTURE  OF  COBURN'S   BRIGADE. 

Resolved,  That  to  the  loyal  millions  who  encourage  us  in  our 
efforts,  who  sympathize  with  us  in  our  hardships,  and  who  re- 
joice with  us  in  the  successes  of  our  armies,  we  tender  such 
heartfelt  gratitude  as  soldiers,  facing  a  hostile  foe,  only  can 
feel. 

Resolved,  That  to  Governor  Todd  of  Ohio,  Governor  Mor- 
ton of  Indiana,  and  Governor  Yates  of  Illinois,  we  extend  our 
hearty  thanks  for  their  ceaseless  labors  in  behalf  of  the  soldiers 
from  their  respective  States. 


Gen.  C.  C.  Gilbert's  division  took  position  at  Franklin.  Col. 
John  Coburn's  brigade  of  our  Baird's  division  was  stationed 
at  Brentwood,  half  way  to  Franklin,  while  the  remainder  of 
Baird's  division  remained  in  camp  at  Nashville.  General 
Rosecrans'  army  had  spent  the  winter  in  the  vicinity  of  Mur- 
freesboro  without  special  incident,  except  occasional  skir- 
mishes with  the  enemy. 

About  March  ist  Colonel  Coburn's  brigade,  composed  of 
the  33d  and  85th  Indiana,  iQth  Michigan,  22d  Wisconsin  and 
i8th  Ohio  Battery,  was  ordered  down  to  Franklin  and  joined 
General  Gilbert's  forces.  On  the  4th  General  Gilbert  ordered 
Colonel  Coburn's  brigade,  together  with  three  regiments  of 
cavalry,  to  move  out  on  the  Columbia  pike  to  Spring  Hill, 
to  reconnoitre  the  position  of  the  enemy,  in  co-operation  with 
a  similar  force  from  Murfreesboro.  They  had  not  gone  more 
than  four  miles,  when  they  met  the  enemy's  skirmishers,  who 
made  only  a  slight  resistance.  The  force  bivouaced  that  night 
on  arms,  and  on  the  following  morning  the  forward  movement 
was  resumed.  Although  General  Gilbert  had  been  repeatedly 
notified  that  there  were  indications  of  a  large  force  of  the 
enemy  in  front  and  to  the  east  of  the  Louisburg  pike,  no  re- 
enforcements  came.  In  fact,  General  Van  Dorn's  army  of 
some  10,000  men,  with  a  large  force  of  cavalry,  confronted  this 
gallant  brigade.  As  General  Coburn's  columns  approached 
the  hills  near  Thompson's  Station,  the  enemy  appeared  in 
large  force  and  a  fierce  battle  ensued.  Several  times  were  the 
rebel  assaults  repulsed,  the  battle  flag  of  Armstrong's  brigade 
being  taken  by  the  iQth  Michigan,  with  a  number  of  prison- 
ers. Finally,  being  severely  pressed  by  such  overwhelming 


JOURNEY  TO  FRANKLIN.  59 

numbers  in  front  and  on  the  right  and  left,  and  at  the  same 
time  vigorously  attacked  in  the  rear  by  General  Forrest's  di- 
vision of  cavalry,  General  Coburn  was  convinced  that  further 
resistance  would  be  at  the  cost  of  the  lives  of  his  brave  men, 
and  to  save  them  from  destruction  ordered  a  surrender.  The 
1 24th  Ohio  being  in  the  rear,  guarding  the  ambulance  and  am- 
munition trains,  and  the  iSth  Ohio  Battery,  which  retired  just 
in  time  to  save  itself,  together  with  the  wagon  trains  of  80 
teams,  escaped  to  Franklin.  The  brigade  lost  378  in  killed 
and  wounded,  and  death  by  exposure.  In  addition,  about 
1,300  were  captured.  General  Coburn  estimated  the  enemy's 
loss  at  500,  while  Van  Dorn  reported  it  as  357. 

At  our  camp  near  Nashville  the  sound  of  the  artillery  was 
distinctly  heard  as  the  battle  progressed.  Our  brigade,  as 
usual,  was  on  drill.  About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  orders 
came  to  report  at  the  railroad  track  within  ten  minutes,  with  60 
rounds  of  ammunition,  two  days'  rations  in  haversacks  and 
ready  for  action.  This  was  received  with  great  cheering,  and 
breaking  ranks,  there  was  a  grand  rush  for  the  tents  and  com- 
missary department.  Very  soon  long  trains  of  cattle  cars  came 
steaming  down  the  track,  and  as  they  came  to  a  stand  the  men 
piled  on  with  the  enthusiasm  of  a  crowd  of  boys  going  to  a 
picnic.  It  took  but  a  few  minutes  to  load  the  trains,  and  we 
were  soon  speeding  our  way  to  Franklin.  We  were  too  late, 
however,  to  be  of  any  service  to  General  Coburn's  gallant 
brigade.  On  reaching  Franklin  the  news  of  the  disaster 
quickly  spread  through  our  ranks,  and  many  severe  criticisms 
were  made  on  the  conduct  of  General  Gilbert  for  his  failure  to 
send  reenforcements  to  General  Coburn. 

It  was  a  relief  to  get  out  of  the  cattle  cars,  even  on  the 
soft  muddy  ground,  in  the  drenching  rain  that  was  falling. 
Our  tents  and  camp  equipage  being  still  at  Nashville,  we 
spent  a  miserable  night.  The  next  day  we  selected  camp 
ground  along  the  Nashville  pike,  about  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  north  of  Franklin.  Our  wagons  with  camp  equipage  ar- 
rived in  the  afternoon,  and  we  soon  had  our  tents  in  order, 
and  by  night,  with  the  aid  of  a  good  supply  of  hay  and  straw 
gathered  from  the  neighborhood,  were  once  more  quite  com- 


60  PURSUIT  OF  VAN  DORN. 

fortable.  The  next  two  days  were  spent  in  vigorous  prepara- 
tions for  an  aggressive  campaign  against  the  enemy.  Several 
train  loads  of  soldiers  arrived  from  Nashville.  Gen.  P.  H. 
Sheridan's  division  of  McCook's  corps  had  come  from  Eagle- 
ville,  near  Murfreesboro,  and  was  in  camp  writhin  a  mile  or  so 
of  Franklin.  Gen.  Green  Clay  Smith's  brigade  of  cavalry  was 
also  there.  Gen.  Gordon  Granger  had  removed  his  headquar- 
ters from  Nashville  to  Franklin  and  had  taken  command  of  the 
forces,  then  numbering  nearly  10,000  men. 

General  Rosecrans  was  eager  to  punish  Van  Dorn's  force 
for  the  capture  of  Coburn's  brigade.  The  wires  were  kept 
warm  carrying  orders  to  General  Granger,  in  preparation  for 
the  work.  Finally  the  order  came,  on  the  evening  of  the  8th, 
to  move  on  the  enemy  the  next  morning.  Seventy  rounds  of 
ammunition  had  been  given  each  man,  and  three  days'  rations 
distributed.  All  luggage  not  absolutely  necessary  for  such  a 
campaign  was  left  behind  in  charge  of  the  sick.  The  reveille 
sounded  at  4  a.  m.  on  the  9th,  and  by  seven  the  entire  com- 
mand was  in  motion.  As  we  approached  Thompson's  Station, 
the  scene  of  General  Coburn's  capture,  our  cavalry  began  skir- 
mishing with  the  enemy's  advance.  They  quickly  gave  way, 
however,  and  at  night  our  force  bivouaced  at  and  near  Spring 
Hill.  Our  brigade  being  in  front,  occupied  some  stubble 
fields  a  mile  or  more  south  of  the  village.  A  strong  skirmish 
line  was  at  once  thrown  out.  A  cold  lunch  was  eaten  and, 
weary  from  the  fourteen  miles'  march,  the  boys  of  the  H5th 
were  soon  taking  a  good  sound  sleep  on  the  piles  of  weeds 
they  had  gathered. 

About  midnight  a  steady  rain  set  in  and  about  the  same 
time  a  large  detail  of  the  H5th,  including  Company  E,  was  or- 
dered on  the  skirmish  line,  where  they  stood  in  the  flat  beech 
woods,  in  the  drenching  rain,  till  relieved  about  seven  o'clock 
the  next  morning.  The  enemy  being  only  a^ short  distance  in 
front,  constant  vigilance  was  required.  After  the  rain  sub- 
sided the  forward  movement  was  continued.  The  enemy  mak- 
ing only  a  show  of  resistance,  was  finally  driven  across  Ruth- 
erford Creek,  about  four  miles  north  of  Columbia.  Something 
of  an  artillery  duel  followed,  between  our  batteries  and  those 


MAJ.    FRANK    L.    HAYS. 
Capt.  Company  F. 


RETURN  TO  FRANKLIN.  61 

of  the  Confederates,  across  the  creek  from  hill  to  hill,  which 
lasted  several  hours.  Towards  night  a  terrific,  down-pouring 
rain  set  in  and  continued  till  midnight.  Having  no  tents,  shel- 
ter was  made  by  leaning  rails  against  one  supported  by  two 
dog-wood  forks  driven  in  the  ground,  upon  which  hemlock 
boughs  were  spread  and  these  covered  with  rubber  blankets. 
In  front  of  such  improvised  houses  great  fires,  made  also  of 
rails,  were  built.  Hemlock  boughs  were  also  spread  over  the 
ground  to  such  thickness  as  to  keep  the  men  out  of  the  mud, 
and  at  the  same  time  make  their  bed.  Some  spent  the  greater 
part  of  the  night  turning  first  one  side,  then  the  other  to  the 
fire  to  get  their  clothes  dried.  It  cleared  off  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  night  and  the  morning  of  the  nth  was  clear  and  cold. 
The  two  armies  remained  in  the  same  position,  the  artillery 
exchanging  occasional  shots  without  material  damage  to  either 
party.  The  enemy  was  evidently  unwilling  to  give  battle,  and 
our  force  being  already  advanced  considerably  beyond  the  posi- 
tion of  our  main  army  at  Murfreesboro,  General  Granger  de- 
termined to  return  at  once  to  Franklin. 

Early  on  the  I2th  the  long  lines  of  forage  wagons,  followed 
by  the  ambulance  trains,  were  moving  northward  on  the 
Franklin  pike.  They  were  quickly  followed  by  the  columns 
of  infantry  and  artillery,  protected  by  the  cavalry  on  the  flanks 
and  in  the  rear.  Our  rations  were  exhausted,  so  we  started 
on  that  hard  march  of  18  miles  without  breakfast,  and  con- 
tinued it  without  dinner.  The  rebel  cavalry  quickly  followed 
us,  ready  to  pick  up  any  stragglers  that  might  fall  exhausted 
by  the  way.  Towards  evening  we  arrived  at  Franklin,  and  re- 
turned to  our  camp. 

Soon  after  that  General  Sheridan's  division  returned  to  its 
position  near  Murfreesboro.  General  Granger  immediately 
began  the  work  of  fortifying  Franklin.  A  little  hill  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Harpeth  River,  opposite  the  town,  was  se- 
lected as  the  site  for  a  strong  fort,  which  was  named  Fort 
Granger,  in  honor  of  our  commander.  Working  parties  were 
detailed  daily  from  all  the  regiments,  and  these  details  were 
so  large  that  the  men  came  on  fatigue  duty  about  every  third 
day.  So  many  men  were  then  absent  in  hospitals  and  una- 


62  BUILDING  FORT  GRANGER. 

ble  for  duty  on  account  of  sickness,  that  the  details  for  guard 
duty  also  required  the  men  to  take  their  regular  turn  at  that 
"pastime"  about  every  third  or  fourth  day.  Between  standing 
guard  and  working  on  the  fortifications,  we  were  kept  quite 
busy  through  the  three  months'  sojourn  at  Franklin.  Fre- 
quently an  entire  regiment  was  ordered  out  for  picket  duty. 
General  Van  Dorn,  having  resumed  his  former  position  at 
Spring  Hill,  had  his  scouting  parties  constantly  hovering 
around  our  lines,  and  frequent  slight  skirmishes  occurred. 

On  April  loth  Van  Dorn's  cavalry  drove  in  our  pickets 
and  charged  through  the  streets  of  the  town,  nearly  to  the 
pontoon  bridge,  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  fort.  This 
was  not  done,  however,  without  a  spirited  resistance  by  the 
4Oth  Ohio  Regiment  then  on  that  picket  line.  This  regiment 
held  an  immensely  superior  force  at  bay  until  its  ammunition 
was  exhausted,  the  engagement  lasting  two  hours.  In  the 
meantime  the  balance  of  our  brigade  crossed  on  the  pontoon 
bridge  to  the  support  of  the  4Oth  Ohio,  the  whole  of  General 
Baird's  division  following.  At  the  same  time  General  Stan- 
ley's cavalry  division  crossed  the  Harpeth  about  two  miles 
above  town  and  attacked  the  enemy  on  the  Louisburg  road, 
drawing  his  attention  away  from  us,  but  Stanley  was  driven 
back  to  the  north  side  of  the  river  by  the  greatly  superior  num- 
bers that  assailed  him.  The  rebels  gradually  withdrew  from 
our  front  by  way  of  the  Louisburg  pike  and  thence  to  their 
camp  at  Spring  Hill,  we  following  them  four  or  five  miles. 
Finding  they  had  gone  to  quarters,  our  forces  quietly  returned 
to  Franklin.  Our  loss,  mostly  in  the  4Oth  Ohio,  was  10  killed, 
10  wounded  and  26  captured.  The  enemy  left  19  killed  and 
35  wounded  on  the  field,  besides  those  carried  off. 

It  was  our  first  sight  of  the  enemy,  nearly  all  of  General 
Granger's  command  being  composed  of  new  regiments,  but 
all  behaved  well  under  fire  and  gave  some  indication  of  what 
might  be  expected  of  them.  Many  men  whose  names  were 
borne  on  the  sick  list,  turned  out  for  action,  thus  proving  the 
truth  of  the  saying  that  "every  regiment  can  muster  more  men 
for  pay  and  for  a  fight  than  for  any  other  duty." 


CHANGES  IN  OFFICERS.  63 

Many  changes  in  the  officers  of  the  regiment  occurred 
about  this  time.  The  resignation  of  Second  Lieut.  Adam  C. 
Allinson  of  Company  E,  which  occurred  on  February  28th, 
has  been  mentioned.  He  was  succeeded  by  First  Sergt.  Jesse 
F.  Hedges.  First  Lieut.  James  Smith  of  Company  F  resigned 
on  February  6th,  and  Second  Lieut.  Matthew  Freeman  was 
promoted  to  the  vacancy,  and  First  Sergt.  William  P.  Slocum 
was  made  second  lieutenant.  Another  change  came  to  Com- 
pany F  on  March  3Oth,  by  the  death  of  Lieutenant  Freeman, 
Lieutenant  Slocum  being  advanced  to  the  first  lieutenancy 
and  Sergt.  David  Reed  to  the  second  lieutenancy.  The  va- 
cancy in  Company  K,  caused  by  the  dismissal  of  Captain  Steele 
on  March  3d,  was  filled  by  the  promotion  of  Sergt.  Alanson 
Pierce.  First  Lieut.  Silas  Parker  of  Company  H  resigned  on 
the  1 2th  of  March,  Second  Lieut.  John  Reardon  and  First 
Sergt.  Stephen  K.  Hatfield  being  respectively  promoted  to 
the  first  and  second  lieutenancies.  On  March  23d  First  Lieut. 
James  S.  Samuels  of  Company  I  resigned,  and  on  the  next 
day  Capt.  Simon  P.  Newman  of  the  same  company  resigned, 
Second  Lieut.  Cyrus  L.  Kinman  being  promoted  to  the  cap- 
taincy, Sergt.  James  A.  Rutherford  to  the  first  lieutenancy, 
and  Corp.  Spencer  P.  Compton  to  the  second  lieutenancy.  On 
March  25th  First  Lieut.  David  S.  Moffatt  of  Company  E 
resigned,  and  Sergt.  James  A.  Whittaker  was  promoted  to  the 
position.  Second  Lieut.  John  Beauchamp  of  Company  B  died 
on  March  26th,  and  Corp.  Ezekiel  K.  Schwartz  was  promoted 
to  the  position.  On  April  ist  Quartermaster  B.  F.  Farley 
resigned,  Quartermaster  Sergt.  C.  W.  Jerome  being  pro- 
moted to  the  position.  On  April  loth  Adjt.  John  H.  Woods 
resigned  and  Commissary  Sergt.  Allen  Litsenberger  was  pro- 
moted to  the  place.  Surgeon  Enoch  W.  Moore  resigned  on 
the  1 7th,  the  office  remaining  vacant  till  July.  Dr.  Charles 
W.  Higgins  was  appointed  in  June,  but  declined  the  com- 
mission, after  which  Dr.  Garner  H.  Bane  of  Quincy,  formerly 
assistant  surgeon  of  the  5Oth  Illinois  Volunteers,  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  place.  Colonel  Moore  earnestly  protested 
against  Dr.  Bane's  appointment,  but  after  he  had  made  his 
acquaintance  and  had  learned  of  his  excellent  qualifications. 


64  CHANGES  IN  OFFICERS. 

he  very  frankly  admitted  his  error  and  commended  the  wisdom 
of  the  governor's  action.  On  April  i6th  Company  H  had  an- 
other change  caused  by  the  resignation  of  Capt.  Henry  Pratt, 
the  promotion  of  Lieutenant  Reardon  to  the  captaincy,  and  of 
First  Sergt.  Joseph  J.  Slaughter  to  the  first  lieutenancy.  On 
May  ist  Hospital  Steward  Addison  C.  Douglass  was  dis- 
charged to  accept  an  appointment  as  contract  surgeon.  On 
May  nth  another  change  occurred  in  Company  E,  by  the 
resignation  of  Capt.  John  M.  Lane  and  the  promotion  of 
Lieutenants  Whittaker  and  Hedges,  and  of  Sergt.  I.  H.  C. 
Royse  respectively  to  the  positions  of  captain,  first  lieutenant 
and  second  lieutenant.  On  May  26th  First  Lieut.  Christ  C. 
Bridgewater  resigned,  and  Second  Lieut.  Samuel  Hymer  was 
made  first  lieutenant,  and  First  Sergt.  Michael  P.  Jones  was 
made  second  lieutenant.  Thus  in  eight  months  2  officers  had 
died,  i  was  dismissed,  16  had  resigned  and  15  enlisted  men 
had  received  commissions.  Nearly  all  these  changes  had  oc- 
curred within  three  months.  There  were  also  changes  in  the 
rolls  of  the  enlisted  men :  Ninety-four  had  died,  nearly  one- 
tenth  of  the  entire  regiment ;  90  had  been  discharged  because 
of  physical  disability,  and  28  had  disgraced  their  uniforms  and 
country  by  desertion,  making  a  loss  to  the  regiment  in  eight 
short  months  of  212  enlisted  men  and  19  officers,  or  a  total  of 
231,  or  about  23  per  cent.  Who  can  imagine  the  comments  of 
the  sensational  newspapers  if  the  volunteer  regiments  in  our 
late  Spanish  war  had  suffered  such  losses  from  exposure  and 
disease  as  did  this  regiment  ? 

On  the  22d  of  April  we  gave  up  our  wedge  and  bell  tents, 
and  from  that  time  forward  lived  in  the  army  shelter  tents, 
commonly  called  "dog  tents."  A  tent  of  that  sort,  designed 
to  shelter  two  men,  was  made  of  two  sheets  of  canvas,  each 
about  five  feet  square,  buttoned  together  and  stretched  over 
a  ridge  pole  about  one  inch  thick,  the  lower  edges  of  the  can- 
vas being  staked  to  the  ground,  and  the  ends  of  the  tent  left 
entirely  open.  Such  were  the  quarters  of  both  officers  and 
men,  excepting  three  wall  tents  for  regimental  headquarters, 
during  the  last  two  years  of  our  service.  About  the  same  time 
our  transportation  was  reduced  to  two  wagons  for  each  regi- 


WORK   AT    FRANKLIN.  65 

ment,  barely  sufficient  to  haul  the  officers'  desks,  mess  chests 
and  satchels  or  traveling  bags,  and  the  cooking  utensils  for 
the  enlisted  men.  All  other  articles,  such  as  blankets,  shelter 
tents  and  clothing  were  carried  by  their  owners. 

In  addition  to  the  daily  work  on  Fort  Granger,  the  adja- 
cent forests  were  cut  down  to  give  a  clear  range  for  our 
artillery.  The  "fort"  had  become  quite  a  formidable  affair. 
It  was  made  of  strong  earth  embankments,  surrounded  by  a 
ditch  about  twenty  feet  deep  and  twenty  to  thirty  feet  wide. 
Outside  of  that,  stakes  were  driven  in  the  ground  a  foot  or  so 
apart,  covering  several  rods  in  width,  all  pointing  outward 
at  an  angle  of  about  45  degrees,  with  the  outer  ends  made 
quite  sharp.  Outside  of  these  the  tops  of  oak  and  hickory 
trees  were  placed  close  together,  the  limbs  trimmed  and  points 
sharpened,  and  these  also  pointing  outward.  These  tree  tops 
and  limbs  were  made  fast  to  the  ground  by  means  of  stakes 
driven  in  across  and  beside  them,  thus  making  an  assault  on 
the  fort  no  easy  matter. 

The  reserve  for  the  pickets  on  the  south  side  was  in  front 
of  the  Carter  House  on  the  Columbia  pike,  near  the  cotton 
gin.  This  was  the  spot  afterwards  so  hotly  contested  in  the 
battle  of  Franklin,  Nov.  30,  1864,  when  so  many  of  both 
armies  gave  up  their  lives.  The  army  of  Van  Dorn,  about 
10,000  strong,  continued  at  Spring  Hill  and  vicinity,  his  cav- 
alry outposts  being  at  Thompson's  Station,  and  often  advanced 
to  within  a  short  distance  of  our  lines.  General  Rosecrans 
continued  his  headquarters  at  Murfreesboro,  with  his  army 
stretching  from  Triune,  past  Murfreesboro  to  some  distance 
beyond.  General  Bragg's  forces  were  at  Tullahoma  and  Shel- 
byville,  and  his  outposts  on  the  hills  towards  the  Union  lines. 
At  the  end  of  March  the  department  of  the  Cumberland  con- 
tained a  total  force  "present  for  duty,"  including  the  garrisons 
at  Nashville,  Carthage  and  other  points,  of  99,623  men.  At 
the  same  time  General  Bragg's  army  in  our  immediate  front, 
according  to  his  returns,  numbered  65,583. 

On  April  27th,  at  i  a.  m.,  our  cavalry  was  ordered  out  on 
the  Columbia  and  Carter  Creek  pikes,  followed  and  supported 
by  our  brigade.  About  daylight  the  cavalry  surprised  the 


66  DRILLS  RESUMED. 

Texas  Legion,  posted  eight  miles  from  Franklin,  and  captured 
120  officers  and  men,  300  horses  and  all  their  wagons  and 
camp  equipage.  Our  brigade  halted  a  few  miles  from  town 
and  returned  as  soon  as  it  was  learned  we  were  not  needed, 
arriving  in  camp  by  the  middle  of  the  forenoon.  Soon  after 
this  we  learned  of  General  Van  Dorn's  death,  the  news  being 
brought  in  one  morning  soon  after  daylight,  by  Dr.  Peters 
of  Spring  Hill.  He  reported  that  he  had  found  the  general 
and  his  (Peters')  wife  in  a  compromising  situation,  and  at  once 
shot  and  killed  him.  Knowing  that  he  would  be  in  danger 
if  he  remained  within  reach,  he  hastily  mounted  a  horse  and 
rapidly  rode  through  the  lines,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  light 
enough  the  next  morning,  reported  himself  to  our  pickets,  and 
was  brought  in  to  headquarters.  He  was  not  especially  loyal 
to  the  Union,  but  was  very  anxious  for  the  protection  our  army 
afforded  him. 

Early  in  May  an  incident  occurred  in  Company  E  that 
created  considerable  excitement  for  a  while.  Eli  McVey  had 
been  sick  several  days,  when  one  morning  the  surgeon  visited 
him  and  found  him  broken  out  with  smallpox.  It  was  the  first 
case  reported  in  that  army  and,  as  may  be  imagined,  it  made 
quite  a  scare.  In  obedience  to  the  surgeon's  orders,  he  was 
removed  to  an  open  field,  a  half  mile  from  camp,  where  a 
shelter  tent  was  set  up  for  his  home,  and  his  brother  sent  out 
to  take  care  of  him.  Fortunately,  McVey's  was  the  only  case 
in  the  division,  and  he  recovered  as  rapidly  as  could  have 
been  expected  in  a  hospital  under  the  most  favorable  circum- 
stances. 

As  the  forts  approached  completion,  about  the  middle  of 
May  company  and  battalion  drills  were  resumed.  On  the 
igth  we  had  our  first  brigade  drill.  Col.  Smith  D.  Atkins  of 
the  92d  commanding.  Gen.  Absalom  Baird  witnessed  the 
drill,  and  expressed  himself  highly  pleased  with  our  perform- 
ance. On  the  following  day  General  Baird  took  command  in 
the  brigade  drill,  giving  us  the  benefit  of  his  skill  as  a  tacti- 
cian. Being  a  graduate  of  West  Point  Military  Academy, 
he  was  perfectly  at  home  in  such  maneuvers.  Later  on  target 
practice  was  taken  up  to  train  the  men  in  the  art  of  using 


REV.  M.  S.  KAUFMAN,  PH.  D. 
CORPORAL,  COMPANY  F. 


REMOVAL  TO   TRIUNE.  67 

their  muskets.  A  target  about  two  by  four  feet  was  placed 
in  front  of  each  company  at  150  yards  distance,  the  men  tak- 
ing turns  firing,  and  the  result  being  noted  by  a  man  in  a  deep 
pit  in  front  of  the  target.  At  first  only  one  shot  out  of  five 
and  one-half  hit  the  target,  then  one  in  five,  one  in  four,  and 
one  in  two  or  three.  After  some  days'  practice  the  companies 
were  moved  back  to  200  yards  distance,  then  to  250  yards  and 
then  to  300  yards.  In  this  way  the  skill  of  the  men  was  tested 
at  the  various  distances.  Some  of  the  best  shots  hit  the  target 
three  or  four  times  out  of  five,  even  at  the  longer  distance. 

General  Rosecrans  was  now  most  earnestly  pushing  his 
preparations  for  a  forward  movement  upon  the  enemy.  With 
this  in  view,  he  began  the  concentration  of  his  forces  to  the 
vicinity  of  Murfreesboro.  On  June  2d  Gilbert's  and  Baird's 
divisions  broke  camp  and  marched  to  Triune,  about  half  way 
to  Murfreesboro,  leaving  Col.  John  P.  Baird,  of  the  85th  In- 
diana, in  command  of  the  post  at  Franklin,  with  a  garrison 
of  only  a  regiment  or  two  of  infantry,  as  many  of  cavalry,  and 
a  field  battery,  besides  the  heavy  artillery — a  very  small  force 
compared  with  what  had  been  there  for  three  months.  Gen- 
eral Steedman  with  his  brigade  had  spent  the  spring  in  the 
vicinity  of  Triune,  and  on  the  day  after  our  arrival  went  into 
camp  near  our  division,  making  in  all  a  considerable  army. 

On  the  4th  of  June  General  Granger  put  the  infantry  and 
artillery  through  a  grand  review.  The  force  of  twenty-three 
regiments  of  infantry  and  five  or  six  batteries  made  a  splendid 
appearance.  The  day  was  clear  and  hot,  and  as  the  men  and 
officers  were  required  to  keep  buttoned  up  to  the  chin  and  girt 
about  with  belts,  sashes  and  accouterments,  it  may  well  be 
imagined  they  realized  the  heat.  While  our  corps  was  on  re- 
view at  Triune,  the  Confederates,  under  Forrest,  Armstrong 
and  Starnes — three  brigades — made  an  attack  on  Franklin. 
Colonel  Baird  opened  upon  them  with  the  big  guns  of  the 
fort  and  kept  them  at  a  distance  until  reenforced  by  Van 
Derveer's  brigade  of  infantry.  The  cavalry  charged  the  rebels 
about  one  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Franklin  and  drove  them 
across  the  Harpeth  River  and  beyond  the  Lotiisburg  pike, 
killing  and  wounding  a  number,  and  capturing  twenty-eight, 


68  ATTACK  ON  FRANKLIN. 

the  approach  of  night  stopping  the  pursuit.  Our  total  loss 
did  not  exceed  ten  men.  Van  Derveer  s  and  Campbell's  brig- 
ades having  returned  to  Triune,  Colonel  Baird's  little  force, 
consisting  of  fragments  of  the  33d  and  85th  Indiana,  iQth 
Michigan  and  22d  Wisconsin  (mostly  convalescents  lately  re- 
turned to  duty),  the  78th  Illinois  Infantry,  6th  Kentucky  Cav- 
alry and  Qth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  were  kept  in  constant  ap- 
prehension of  a  return  of  the  rebel  forces. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


FRANKLIN  TO  TULLAHOMA. 

Towards  evening  on  the  8th  of  June  two  mounted 
officers  in  federal  uniform  appeared  at  the  picket  line  on  the 
Triune  road  and  asked  to  be  conducted  to  the  post  headquar- 
ters, saying  they  were  officers  of  the  inspector-general's  de- 
partment at  Washington.  On  appearing  before  Colonel 
Baird,  they  represented  that  they  were  Col.  Lawrence  W.  Or- 
ton  and  Maj.  George  Dunlap  of  the  United  States  Army,  spe- 
cially detailed  by  the  adjutant-general  to  make  inspection  and 
report  on  the  condition  of  the  armies  in  the  departments  of 
the  Ohio  and  Cumberland,  and  as  credentials  presented  orders 
signed  by  E.  D.  Townsend,  assistant  adjutant-general,  with 
passes,  and  a  request  from  General  Rosecrans  that  they  should 
visit  and  inspect  his  outposts.  They  also  represented  that 
they  had  missed  the  road  from  Triune  and  had  run  into  the 
rebel  picket  lines  and  that  Colonel  Orton  had  lost  his  coat 
containing  all  his  money. 

Naturally  they  were  courteously  received.  They  seemed  to 
want  nothing  more  than  directions  for  their  journey  to  Nash- 
ville and  the  loan  of  some  money,  about  $50,  to  cover  ex- 
penses until  they  could  draw  from  the  Government.  Colonel 
Baird  was  generous  hearted,  and  although  quite  short  of  funds 
himself,  not  having  been  paid  for  a  number  of  months,  by 
borrowing  of  his  post  adjutant,  Lieut.  George  E.  Farring- 
ton  and  others,  he  made  the  loan  required. 

Very  soon  the  visitors  took  their  leave  without  making  any 
inspection  whatever.  But  Colonel  Baird,  a  very  great  lawyer 
that  he  was,  began  to  think  over  the  matter,  and  the  more  he 
thought  the  more  suspicious  he  became  that  the  visitors  were 


70  A  REMARKABLE  INCIDENT. 

not  as  represented — but  spies.  Without  a  moment's  hesitation, 
when  his  thoughts  had  taken  him  thus  far,  he  ordered  Col. 
L.  D.  Watkins,  of  the  6th  Kentucky  Cavalry,  accompanied 
by  Adjutant  Farrington  and  two  orderlies  to  follow  the  two 
gentlemen  and  overtake  and  bring  them  back.  It  is  needless 
to  say  the  order  was  quickly  obeyed,  and  though  remon- 
strating earnestly  against  the  delay,  seeing  nothing  else  to  do, 
the  visitors  as  promptly  returned  to  headquarters. 

In  the  meantime  Colonel  Baird  had  telegraphed  General 
Rosecrans,  inquiring  if  there  were  such  United  States  officers, 
and  received  reply  in  the  negative.  He  then  telegraphed  a 
short  account  of  their  conduct,  and  received  a  prompt  reply, 
signed  by  General  Garfield,  chief  of  staff,  that  the  men  were 
undoubtedly  spies,  and  ordered  that  they  be  tried  at  once  by 
court  martial,  and  if  guilty,  "hang  them  before  morning." 

The  court  martial  was  at  once  formed,  with  Colonel  Jordan 
of  the  Qth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry  as  president ;  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Van  Vleck,  /8th  Illinois  Infantry;  Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel Hoblizel,  5th  Kentucky  Cavalry,  and  Capt.  W.  T.  Craw- 
ford, 85th  Indiana  Infantry.  Lieutenant  Wharton  .was  judge 
advocate,  and  the  adjutant,  Lieut.  G.  E.  Farrington,  85th  In- 
diana, clerk.  The  men  were  promptly  put  on  their  trial,  which 
had  not  progressed  far,  when  Colonel  Watkins,  from  curiosity, 
drew  Colonel  Orton's  sword  from  its  scabboard  and  discov- 
ered that  the  inscription  was  the  name  of  Colonel  Orton,  "C. 
S.  A."  Seeing  the  uselessness  of  further  concealment  of  their 
real  character,  Colonel  Orton  confessed  that  they  were  Con- 
federates, but  denied  that  they  were  spies  in  the  ordinary  sense. 
They  gave  their  real  names,  the  colonel  as  Lawrence  Orton 
Williams,  a  graduate  of  West  Point  and  a  former  officer  in 
the  2d  Regular  Cavalry,  who  had  served  on  General  Scott's 
staff  in  the  Mexican  War,  but  was  then  a  colonel  in  the  Con- 
federate army;  "Major  Dunlap"  was  Lieut.  Walter  G.  Peters, 
Colonel  Williams'  adjutant.  Colonel  Watkins  at  once  recog- 
nized the  colonel  as  a  former  classmate  at  West  Point,  and 
the  colonel  then  acknowledged  that  he  had  known  Colonel 
Watkins  at  first,  and  was  fearful  that  Watkins  would  remem- 
ber him. 


HON.  E.  R.  RIDGELY. 
SERGEANT  COMPANY  C. 


RESERVE  CORPS  ORGANIZED.  71 

Of  course  the  court  found  them  guilty.  Colonel  Orton  was 
then  permitted  to  telegraph  General  Garfield,  "Will  you  not 
have  any  clemency  for  the  son  of  Captain  Williams  who  fell 
at  Monterey?"  and  protesting  innocence  as  spies,  and  beg- 
ging for  his  friend.  Colonel  Baird  also  telegraphed  their  re- 
quest for  death  as  a  soldier  by  shooting,  rather  than  as  a  crim- 
inal by  hanging.  The  reply  came  at  4 :3O  a.  m.,  "The  general 
commanding  directs  that  the  two  spies  if  found  guilty  be 
hanged  at  once,  thus  placing  it  beyond  the  possibility  of  For- 
rest profiting  by  the  information  they  have  gained."  At  nine 
o'clock  Colonel  Baird  telegraphed:  "General  Garfield,  chief  of 
staff.  The  men  have  been  tried,  found  guilty  and  executed 
in  compliance  with  your  order." 

That  was  a  sad  night  for  Colonel  Baird  and  his  associates. 
He  was  convinced  they  were  no  ordinary  spies,  but  that  they 
had  some  mission  to  the  North  more  important  than  inspect- 
ing such  a  post.  They  had  upon  them  a  memorandum  of  the 
names  of  commanding  officers  and  posts  in  the  Northern 
States.  They  admitted  the  justice  of  their  sentence,  but  re- 
fused to  disclose  their  true  object.  Their  conduct  was  cer- 
tainly singular.  The  colonel's  name,  as  he  gave  it,  was  "Law- 
rence Orton  Williams,"  but  his  name  as  carried  on  the  rolls 
of  the  United  States  Army  was  "William  Orton  Williams," 
while  his  name  as  given  in  his  official  reports  in  the  Con- 
federate service,  as  colonel  commanding  a  brigade  of  Con- 
federate cavalry,  was  "Lawrence  W.  Orton."  He  said  he  was 
a  first  cousin  to  Gen.  R.  E.  Lee,  which  turned  out  to  be  true, 
and  that  he  and  Lieutenant  Peters  were  both  descendants  of 
Mrs.  Martha  Custis  Washington,  and  of  very  prominent  fam- 
ilies of  Georgetown,  D.  C. 

On  the  same  day  the  spies  entered  Franklin,  the  Army  of 
Kentucky  was  stricken  from  the  list  of  army  organizations 
by  general  order  from  department  headquarters,  and  the  "Re- 
serve Corps"  was  formed  in  its  place,  composed  mainly  of  the 
same  troops, — the  only  changes  being  that  Gen.  George 
Crook's  brigade  was  transferred  to  the  fourth  division  of  the 
I4th  corps,  the  I24th  Ohio  Infantry  and  the  I25th  Ohio  In- 
fantry to  the  2ist  army  corps,  and  the  troops  composing  the 


72  THE  RESERVE  CORPS. 

fourth  division  of  the  I4th  army  corps  to  the  "Reserve  Corps." 
The  reserve  corps,  as  thus  organized,  under  command  of 
Maj.-Gen.  Gordon  Granger,  was  constituted  as  follows: 

First  Division,  Brig.-Gen.  Absalom  Baird  commanding. 
First  Brigade,  Col.   Smith  D.  Atkins    commanding. 

Q2d  Illinois,  Lieut.-Col.  B.  F.  Sheets. 
96th  Illinois,  Col.  Thos.  E.  Champion. 
U5th  Illinois,  Col.  Jesse  H.  Moore. 
84th  Indiana,  Col.  Nelson  Trusler. 
4Oth  Ohio,  Col.  Jacob  E.  Taylor. 
i8th  Ohio  Battery,  Capt.  Ghas.  C.  Aleshire. 

Second  Brigade,  Col.  William  P.  Reed  commanding. 

78th  Illinois,  Maj.  William  L.  Broaddus. 

98th  Ohio,  Lieut.-Col.  John  S.  Pearce. 
U3th  Ohio,  Lieut.-Col.  D.  B.  Warner. 
I2ist  Ohio,  Lieut.-Col.  H.  B.  Banning. 

1st  Illinois  Artillery,  Battery  M,  Lieut.  G.  W.  Spencer. 

Third  Brigade,   Col.  John  Coburn  commanding. 

33d  Indiana,  Lieut.-Col.  J.  M.   Henderson. 
8sth  Indiana,  Col.  John  P.  Baird.- 
igth  Michigan,  Col.  H.  C.  Gilbert. 
22d  Wisconsin,  Col.  W.  L.  Utley. 
9th  Ohio  Battery,  Capt.  H.  B.  York. 

Second  Division,  Brig.-Gen.  James  D.  Morgan  commanding. 

First  Brigade.  Second  Brigade, 

loth  Illinois.  85th  Illinois. 

i6th  Illinois.  86th  Illinois. 

6oth  Illinois.  I25th  Illinois, 

loth  Michigan.  52d  Ohio. 

I4th  Michigan.  2d  Illinois  Artillery, 

loth  Wisconsin  Battery.                                    Battery  I. 

Third  Brigade. 

i8th  Michigan. 

22d  Michigan. 
io6th  Ohio. 
io8th  Ohio. 

ist  Ohio  Artillery,   Company  E. 


AN  ATTACK.  73 

Third  Division,  Brig.-Gen.  Robt.  S.  Granger  commanding. 
First  Brigade.  Second  Brigade. 

83d  Illinois.  iO2d  Illinois. 

27th  Kentucky.  I05th  Illinois. 

7ist  Ohio.  T2Qth  Illinois. 

iO2d  Ohio.  7Oth  Indiana. 

I3th  Wisconsin.  79th  Ohio. 

2d  Illinois  Artillery,  Battery  H. 

Third  Brigade. 

3d  East  Tennessee. 
5th  East  Tennessee. 
6th  East  Tennessee. 

In  addition  to  the  forces  of  the  reserve  corps,  Brig.-Gen. 
James  B.  Steedman's  brigade  of  infantry,  and  Brig.-Gen. 
Robert  B.  Mitchell's  division  of  cavalry  were  stationed  at 
Triune,  all  under  command  of  Major-General  Granger. 

At  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  June  nth  the 
Confederates  came  over  the  Harpeth  River  and  vigorously  at- 
tacked our  pickets,  but  were  quickly  repulsed  by  General 
Mitchell's  cavalry  and  driven  back  over  the  river.  Our  di- 
vision was  hastily  formed  and  marched  out  to  support  the 
cavalry.  Our  total  loss  of  killed  and  wounded  was  only  28, 
while  the  Confederates  left  23  dead  on  the  field,  besides  a 
considerable  number  wounded,  who  were  carried  away  with 
them.  Two  days  later  the  cavalry  made  a  reconnaissance  to 
the  south  of  the  Harpeth  River,  our  brigade  supporting  at  a 
respectful  distance,  but  without  finding  the  enemy. 

On  the  I4th,  at  I  a.  m.,  the  H5th  and  other  regiments  of 
General  Baird's  division  were  called  into  line  and  ordered 
supplied  with  two  days'  rations  and  sixty  rounds  of  ammunition 
to  be  ready  to  support  a  cavalry  reconnaissance  that  General 
Granger  had  ordered  to  Steam's  Mills,  some  miles  southeast 
from  Triune,  but  no  further  service  being  required,  the  infantry 
returned  to  their  quarters.  An  amusing  story  was  told  of  Col. 
James  Brownlow,  of  the  2d  East  Tennessee  Cavalry,  who  had 
been  ordered  to  join  in  the  scout  of  the  cavalry.  He  fully 
meant  to  obey  the  order,  but  was  quite  as  good  a  sleeper  as 
fighter.  That  night  he  was  particularly  sleepy  and  was  not 


74  VICKSBURG  CAMPAIGN. 

aroused  by  the  signal,  but  slept  soundly  till  daylight,  just  as 
the  cavalry  force  was  returning  to  camp.  He  instantly  realized 
his  fault,  and  rushing  out  of  his  tent  in  his  night  clothes,  he 
leaped  upon  his  horse,  without  saddle,  and  galloped  over  to 
General  Granger's  headquarters  to  confess  his  neglect,  make 
such  poor  apology  as  he  could,  and  submit  to  the  general's 
orders.  Fortunately  General  Granger  had  enjoyed  a  good 
night's  sleep  himself,  and  was  in  his  best  humor.  The  cavalry 
had  returned  in  good  shape,  and  the  work  had  been  done  as 
well  without  Colonel  Brownlow's  command  as  if  he  had  been 
with  them.  Therefore,  the  general  was  not  disposed  to  deal 
harshly  with  him,  and  merely  ordered  him  to  go  to  his  quarters 
and  get  his  clothes  on. 

During  our  short  stay  at  Triune,  the  time  not  required  in 
looking  after  the  enemy  was  well  occupied  with  the  battalion 
and  brigade  drills.  Colonel  Moore  had  already  become  quite 
proficient  in  the  drill  maneuvers  of  the  regiment  and  made  a 
very  fine  appearance  on  horseback  on  these  occasions.  Gen- 
eral Granger  was  not  popular  with  the  men.  He  was  a 
graduate  of  West  Point  and  a  strict  disciplinarian,  but  ap- 
peared over  fond  of  display,  and  our  volunteers  could  see  no 
use  for  much  of  what  they  called  "red  tape."  General  Baird 
was  also  a  West  Point  man  and  a  thorough  disciplinarian,  but 
his  manner  was  more  agreeable  and  he  was  more  considerate 
of.  the  wishes  and  feelings  of  his  men  and  quite  popular  with 
them.  There  did  not  seem  so  great  a  distance  between  him 
and  the  volunteer  officers. 

General  Grant  had  been  pushing  the  Vicksburg  campaign 
all  the  while  we  were  at  Franklin.  Since  May  i8th  he  had 
Vicksburg  in  a  state  of  siege  with  General  Pemberton's  army 
imprisoned  within  the  fortifications.  Gen.  Joe  Johnston  with 
a  large  force  was  some  fifty  miles  east  of  Vicksburg,  con- 
stantly threatening  General  Grant's  rear.  If  he  could  get  men 
enough  he  would  raise  the  siege.  Rosecrans  was  apparently 
lying  idle  at  Murfreesboro,  so  that  if  Bragg  could  spare  the 
men,  Johnston  would  do  the  work.  All  sorts  of  rumors  were 
in  circulation  among  Rosecrans'  generals  and  other  officers,  as 
to  the  reenforcements  being  sent  from  Bragg  to  Johnston. 


BREVET  MAJ.  JOHN  REARDOX,  U.  S.  VOLS. 
CAPTAIN,  COMPANY  H. 


TULLAHOMA  CAMPAIGN.  75 

On  the  8th  of  June  General  Rosecrans  took  his  generals 
into  council,  by  sending  to  each  a  confidential  communication, 
inquiring:  First,  Has  the  enemy  in  our  front  been  materially 
weakened  by  detachments  sent  to  Johnston?  Second,  Can 
this  army  advance  now  with  strong  or  reasonable  chances  of 
fighting  a  great  or  successful  battle  ?  Do  you  think  an  advance 
likely  to  prevent  further  reenforcements  being  sent  against 
Grant  ?  Do  you  think  an  immediate  advance  advisable  ? 

These  questions  were  answered  in  as  many  ways  as  there 
were  generals.  Some  advised  delay,  others  an  advance,  others 
caution.  The  War  Department  was  urging  an  advance.  The 
result  was  that  on  June  23d  General  Rosecrans  issued  orders 
to  all  his  corps  commanders  to  move  forward  on  the  follow- 
ing morning.  General  Crittenden's  corps  was  to  move  to 
near  Bradyville ;  General  Granger's  to  take  the  old  Middle- 
town  road  to  Christiana;  General  McCook's  on  the  Shelby- 
ville  pike ;  General  Thomas'  corps  on  the  Manchester  pike. 

Early  on  the  23d  the  reserve  corps  broke  camp ;  the  sick 
were  sent  to  hospitals  at  Nashville,  and  the  convalescents  to 
camp  at  Murfreesboro.  Three  days'  rations  were  taken  in  the 
haversacks  and  sixty  rounds  of  ammunition  were  carried  by 
each  man.  The  orders  were  "to  move  in  light  marching  order, 
taking  the  smallest  practical  amount  of  baggage,  and  leaving  all 
extra  wagons  in  park  at  Murfreesboro."  By  8  a.  m.  the  column 
was  moving  in  the  direction  of  Murfreesboro,  but  owing  to 
bad  roads,  wagons  breaking  down  and  the  like,  we  made  poor 
progress.  After  a  march  of  twelve  miles,  at  about  10  p.  m. 
we  halted  seven  miles  southwest  from  Murfreesboro,  and 
bivouaced.  This  put  us  in  close  touch  with  the  rest  of  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  ready  for  the  forward  movement 
of  the  morrow. 

On  the  same  day  Gen.  R.  B.  Mitchell's  cavalry  division 
moved  south  from  Triune  and  drove  in  the  Confederate  pickets 
upon  their  infantry  line,  with  sharp  skirmishes  at  Eagleville, 
Rover  and  Unionville.  At  the  same  time  General  Palmer's 
division  of  infantry  and  a  brigade  of  cavalry  moved  out  from 
Murfreesboro,  on  the  road  leading  toward  Manchester.  On 
the  24th  the  general  forward  movement  began  all  along  the 


76  TULLAHOMA  CAMPAIGN. 

line.  General  Bragg  had  his  headquarters  at  Shelbyville,  the 
principal  part  of  his  infantry  being  there,  and  at  Wartrace.  A 
range  of  hills  extends  from  east  to  west  some  eight  or  ten 
miles  north  of  Shelbyville,  dividing  the  valley  of  Duck  River 
from  the  headwaters  of  Stone  River.  The  roads  from  Mur- 
freesboro  to  Shelbyville,  Wartrace  and  Manchester  passed 
through  certain  gaps  in  these  hills.  The  several  corps  of  Rose- 
crans'  army  moved  forward  on  these  several  roads,  the  reserve 
corps  on  the  right  on  the  line  of  the  Shelbyville  pike. 

Several  hours  were  consumed  preparing  rations,  the  order 
being  to  take  three  days'  rations  in  haversacks.  By  noon  the 
column  was  in  motion,  although  it  had  rained  since  four  that 
morning.  That  part  of  our  march  being  over  ordinary  country 
roads,  very  muddy,  we  found  it  tiresome  work.  Very  soon 
General  Stanley's  cavalry  in  our  front  encountered  the  enemy, 
and  brisk  skirmishes  ensued,  continuing  most  of  the  afternoon. 
Finally  about  up.  m.,  in  spite  of  rain  and  mud,  we  reached 
the  Shelbyville  pike  near  Christiana.  The  H5th  regiment  was 
immediately  ordered  to  the  front  on  picket,  half  the  regiment 
being  kept  on  the  outposts  and  the  rest  held  in  reserve.  The 
enemy's  pickets,  a  little  more  than  one-fourth  of  a  mile  in  our 
front,  were  near  enough  to  keep  us  on  the  alert.  Being  with- 
out shelter,  and  the  rain  falling  in  torrents  most  of  the  time,  our 
men  had  but  little  rest. 

About  9  a.  m.  the  next  clay  we  were  relieved  from  duty,  but 
without  much  relief  from  the  discomforts  of  the  situation,  for 
we  bivouaced  in  the  adjacent  walnut  grove,  on  land  almost 
perfectly  level,  upon  which  the  water  stood  in  many  places  half 
shoe-top  deep.  The  rain  continued  without  slacking  a  moment 
till  late  in  the  day.  At  night  "beds"  were  made  by  putting 
down  rails,  three  or  four  to  the  man,  to  keep  out  of  the  water, 
in  some  instances  softened  a  little  by  hemlock  boughs  spread 
on  them.  A  favorite  plan  was  to  lay  a  sap  or  flat  rail,  in  the 
middle  with  a  heart  rail  on  either  side,  to  keep  the  "sleeper" 
from  rolling  off  into  the  water. 

We  rested  the  26th,  but  on  the  27th  moved  forward  on  the 
Shelbyville  pike  to  Guy's  Gap.  preceded  by  the  cavalry  of 
Maj.-Gen.  D.  S.  Stanley,  General  Baird's  division  of  infantry 


CAPTURE  OF  MANCHESTER.  77 

supporting.  A  show  of  resistance  was  made  at  Guy's  Gap  by 
a  Confederate  battery  supported  by  cavalry,  but  when  charged 
by  Stanley's  cavalry  they  soon  gave  way  and  hastily  retreated 
to  their  rifle  pits  within  three  or  four  miles  of  Shelbyville. 
They  were  again  charged  and  routed  by  our  cavalry,  who 
drove  them  through  the  town  and  over  and  through  the  river, 
great  numbers  of  them  being  drowned  in  the  effort  to  escape. 
The  Confederate  loss,  killed,  drowned  and  wounded,  was  some- 
thing like  200,  while  about  500  were  taken  prisoners. 

General  Baird's  division  remained  at  Guy's  Gap,  ready  to 
move  when  and  where  needed,  until  the  return  of  the  cavalry 
with  their  prisoners.  That  was  our  first  sight  of  any  con- 
siderable number  of  rebel  prisoners.  The  84th  Indiana  was 
detailed  to  escort  the  prisoners  to  Murfreesboro,  while  the 
rest  of  the  division  returned  to  the  walnut  flats  near  Christiana. 

While  these  operations  were  in  progress,  the  corps  of  Gen- 
erals Thomas,  Crittenden  and  McCook  were  moving  as  rapidly 
as  the  condition  of  the  roads  and  the  weather  would  permit 
against  the  Confederate  extreme  right.  Liberty  Gap  was  oc- 
cupied by  General  McCook's  corps  on  the  25th  after  a  sharp 
skirmish.  About  the  same  time  General  Reynolds'  division  of 
the  I4th  corps  surprised  and  captured  Hoover's  Gap,  on  the 
road  leading  to  Manchester. 

On  the  27th  the  greater  portions  of  the  I4th,  2Oth  and  2ist 
corps  had  reached  the  vicinity  of  Manchester,  and  Geneial 
Rosecrans  had  established  his  headquarters  at  that  place.  By 
this  time  General  Bragg,  seeing  that  his  right  was  being 
turned  rapidly  withdrew  his  forces  from  Shelbyville  and  War- 
trace  and  took  position  at  Tullahoma.  This  movement  began 
on  the  night  of  the  26th,  and  from  the  orders  given,  it  must 
have  been  an  exciting  rush  to  the  rear. 

Immediately  after  the  capture  of  Manchester,  General  Wild- 
er with  his  brigade  of  mounted  infantry  was  ordered  to  the  rear 
of  Bragg's  army.  He  attacked  a  force  of  rebel  cavalry  near 
Elk  River,  and  after  skirmishing  several  miles,  he  crossed 
the  Elk  River  at  an  unprotected  point,  swimming  his  horses 
over,  and  transporting  his  mountain  howitzers  on  a  raft  to 
the  opposite  side  of  the  stream.  He  soon  reached  Decherd 


78  CAPTURE  OF  MANCHESTER. 

and  tore  up  the  railroad  track,  burned  the  commissary  stores 
and  destroyed  a  trestle.  At  the  same  time  the  I4th  corps 
moved  south  from  Manchester,  also  threatening  Bragg's  rear. 
General  Bragg,  finding  it  impossible  to  meet  all  of  these  ad- 
vances, on  July  ist  abandoned  Tullahoma  and  transferred  his 
headquarters  to  Decherd.  This  position  was  soon  found  un- 
tenable and  the  retreat  was  continued  over  the  mountains,  Gen- 
eral Bragg  hastily  moving  his  headquarters  to  Chattanooga. 

On  June  2Qth  our  division  moved  through  Guy's  Gap, 
camping  one  day  about  two  miles  north  of  Shelbyville,  and  on 
the  3Oth  occupied  the  town,  the  H5th  being  on  the  bluff  over 
which  the  rebel  cavalry  had  been  forced  into  Duck  River  only 
a  few  days  before.  While  we  were  there  two  of  the  drowned 
men  came  to  the  surface  and  floated  past  us.  A  large  pro- 
portion of  the  citizens  of  Shelbyville  seemed  glad  of  our  com- 
ing. The  stars  and  stripes  floated  from  many  of  the  houses, 
and  many  handkerchiefs  waved  a  welcome  to  us  as  we  marched 
through  the  town.  This  greeting  gave  us  an  excellent  opinion 
of  the  place,  and  many  hoped  for  a  long  stay.  In  this  they 
were  disappointed,  for  early  on  July  3d  we  were  in  line  of 
march  for  Wartrace,  the  junction  of  the  Shelbyville  branch 
with  the  main  line  of  the  Nashville  &  Chattanooga  Railroad, 
eight  miles  distant.  A  terrific  rain  storm  very  soon  broke 
upon  us,  and  all  the  creeks  and  branches  were  quickly  flooded. 
Even  the  dirt  road  we  traveled  was  almost  like  a  river.  We 
were  moving  in  obedience  to  orders,  however,  that  did  not 
permit  a  little  matter  like  a  rain  storm  to  interfere.  Wet  and 
muddy  we  pushed  along,  once  wading  a  stream  almost  shoulder 
deep,  and  several  times  wading  streams  two  or  three  feet 
deep,  making  fairly  good  time,  and  early  in  the  afternoon  ar- 
rived at  Wartrace  and  went  into  camp  in  a  beech  grove  over- 
looking the  village  of  about  a  dozen  houses.  Colonel  Moore, 
having  obtained  a  twenty  days'  leave  of  absence  to  visit  his 
home  in  Illinois,  Lieut. -Col.  William  Kinman  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  regiment. 

We  were  scarcely  settled  in  camp  at  Wartrace,  when  the 
news  came  of  the  capture  of  Vicksbnrg  and  Pemberton's  sur- 
render to  Grant,  quickly  followed  by  the  news  of  the  great 


GENERAL  WHITAKER  IN  COMMAND.  79 

victory  at  Gettysburg,  and  the  hasty  retreat  of  Lee's  army 
towards  Maryland  and  Virginia.  At  first  it  seemed  too  good 
to  be  true,  but  as  the  confirmatory  despatches  became  known 
among  the  troops,  their  joy  was  unbounded  and  the  camps 
rang  with  cheers  in  celebration  of  the  victories.  The  darkness 
that  had  so  long  hung  over  us  seemed  to  be  clearing  away,  so 
that  we  could  see  the  beginning  of  the  end.  The  doubting  took 
new  courage  and  all  looked  forward  to  other  successes  await- 
ing us  with  the  hope  that  before  many  months  should  pass  the 
Confederacy  would  crumble  to  pieces.  With  such  news  we 
felt  better  able  to  endure  the  storms  and  mud  and  were  made 
to  take  a  more  cheerful  view  of  our  situation. 

Very  soon  after  our  arrival  at  Wartrace,  the  92d  Illinois 
was  mounted  and  assigned  to  the  famous  Wilder's  brigade,  and 
Col.  Thomas  E.  Champion,  of  the  96th  Illinois,  the  ranking 
colonel  of  the  remaining  regiments,  assumed  command  of 
our  brigade.  General  Granger  had  removed  his  headquarters 
to  Murfreesboro,  distributing  his  forces  at  the  intermediate 
points,  and  taking  command  of  the  garrisons  and  posts  along 
the  line  in  reserve,  as  the  name  of  his  corps  implied.  The 
I4th,  2Oth  and  2ist  corps  had  occupied  Tullahoma  and  other 
points  between  that  and  the  Tennessee  River.  A  rest  was 
now  in  order,  that  the  troops  might  be  made  ready  for  another 
forward  movement. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  Tullahoma  campaign,  Gen.  Ab- 
salom Baird  was  relieved  from  the  command  of  the  first  divis- 
ion of  the  reserve  corps,  and  Brig.-Gen.  Walter  C.  Whitaker 
was  assigned  to  the  command.  General  Whitaker  was  a 
typical  Kentucky  gentleman — high-spirited,  ambitious,  and  an 
excellent  judge  of  the  well-known  Kentucky  beverage.  He 
entered  the  service  as  a  colonel  of  the  6th  Kentucky  Infantry, 
but  by  gallant  conduct  soon  attained  the  command  of  a 
brigade. 

As  soon  as  the  Confederates  were  driven  out  of  middle 
Tennessee,  a  strong  force  of  men  was  set  to  repairing  the  rail- 
road and  in  a  short  time  the  trains  were  in  regular  service  trans- 
porting supplies  to  the  front.  The  first  train  reached  Elk 
River  on  July  8th,  and  but  a  few  days  more  sufficed  to  open 


80  REVIEW  OF  THE  BRIGADE. 

the  road  to  the  Cumberland  Mountains.  The  Nashville  & 
Chattanooga  Railroad  was  then  a  poor  affair.  The  rails  were 
of  an  inverted  U  section  and  laid  on  logs  or  stringers  placed 
lengthwise  of  the  track,  instead  of  being  on  cross  ties.  The 
rails  were  badly  worn,  and  at  best  the  trains  made  very  poor 
time  and  that,  with  great  hazard  to  all  on  board.  Then  a 
favorite  pastime  of  the  rebel  guerrillas  was  the  tearing  up  of 
these  tracks,  displacing  rails  and  destroying  trestles.  In  this 
way  the  trains  were  frequently  ditched,  notwithstanding  the 
greatest  care  and  foresight. 

On  July  1 4th  Major  Poteet  returned  to  the  regiment,  he 
having  been  left  at  Triune  on  account  of  sickness.  He  was 
accompanied  by  Dr.  Garner  H.  Bane,  the  new  surgeon.  We 
soon  found  that  Dr.  Bane  was  not  only  an  excellent  physician 
and  an  affable  gentleman,  but  an  expert  in  surgery.  On  the 
i6th  Colonel  Moore  returned  from  leave  of  absence  and  re- 
sumed the  command  of  the  regiment.  On  the  I7th,  the  H5th 
received  its  regulation  regimental  colors  and  battle  flags  ;  prior 
to  that  time  a  flag  belonging  to  Company  I  had  been  used. 
While  at  Wartrace  the  company  and  battalion  drills  were  kept 
up  whenever  the  weather  would  permit.  On  July  3ist  leaves 
of  absence  were  granted  Lieutenant-Colonel  Kinman,  Major 
Poteet  and  Lieutenant  Bailey  of  Company  K,  and  they  started 
for  home.  Dr.  N.  G.  Blalock  having  tendered  his  resignation, 
received  his  discharge  and  left  at  about  the  same  time. 

The  3.d  of  August  was  a  great  day  for  our  brigade,  the  occa- 
sion being  a  visit  of  the  department  commander,  Maj.-Gen. 
W.  S.  Rosecrans,  accompanied  by  General  Garfield  and  other 
members  of  his  staff,  who  reviewed  the  brigade.  The  generals 
expressed  themselves  as  greatly  pleased  with  the  excellent  ap- 
pearance and  soldierly  bearing  of  the  troops.  General  Rose- 
crans added  greatly  to  his  popularity  by  riding  along  the  line 
and  talking  to  the  officers  and  men,  telling  them 
it  was  one  of  the  finest  brigades  in  the  service.  The 
6th  of  August  was  observed  as  a  clay  of  thanksgiv- 
ing and  prayer,  in  obedience  to  the  proclamation  of 
the  President.  After  the  singing  of  "The  Star-Spangled  Ban- 


BREVET  MAJ.  JOHN  W.  DOVE,  U.  S.  VOLS. 
CAPTAIN,  COMPANY  G. 


ON  GUARD  DUTY.  81 

ner"  and  other  patriotic  songs,  and  a  prayer  by  the  chaplain, 
Colonel  Moore  delivered  an  eloquent  patriotic  address. 

On  the  7th,  Company  E,  in  pursuance  of  orders  from  brigade 
headquarters,  marched  with  Company  F,  84th  Indiana,  under 
Captain  Grubs,  and  Company  G  of  the  4Oth  Ohio,  Captain 
Beach,  to  the  Duck  River  bridge,  about  five  miles  south  of 
Wartrace,  for  the  purpose  of  guarding  the  bridge  and  pre- 
venting its  destruction  by  predatory  bands  of  rebel  cavalry. 
After  a  few  days  Company  E  was  ordered  to  Normandy,  some 
three  miles  further  south,  to  perform  like  service  at  the  bridge 
over  a  creek  at  that  place.  The  company  went  into  camp  on 
a  hill  overlooking  the  bridge  it  was  intended  to  protect,  and 
there  remained,  having  a  spell  of  real  "feather-bed  soldiering" 
till  September  3d.  There  were  no  troops  nearer  than  Tulla- 
homa,  about  eight  miles  to  the  south,  and  none  but  the  two 
companies  mentioned  between  there  and  Wartrace.  The  coun- 
try was  well  supplied  with  fruits,  vegetables,  fowls  and  honey, 
and  the  people  were  willing  to  sell  at  moderate  prices. 

The  only  incident  of  unusual  interest  was  an  attempt  to 
capture  a  Confederate  soldier  named  Davidson,  who  was  re- 
ported by  a  "reliable  contraband"  to  be  visiting  his  family  about 
three  miles  farther  up  Duck  River,  expecting  to  return  with 
a  load  of  letters  from  the  home  folks  to  their  friends  in  the 
rebel  army.  After  midnight  Lieutenant  Royse  took  fifteen 
men,  and 'under  guidance  of  the  faithful  negro,  surrounded  the 
Davidson  residence  and  waited  till  daylight,  only  to  find  that 
the  object  of  their  search  had  left  his  home  early  in  the  night 
and  was  resting  in  one  of  the  friendly  forests  near  by.  Though 
then  compelled  to  return  to  camp  without  his  prisoner,  Lieu- 
tenant Royse  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Mr.  Davidson  at 
Wartrace  in  the  autumn  of  1895.  The  next  Saturday  night  a 
number  of  the  boys  returned  to  the  Davidson  plantation,  and 
brought  away  an  ample  supply  of  chickens,  honey  and  other 
provisions  for  Sunday.  Not  liking  the  liberties  thus  taken,  Mrs. 
Davidson  called  in  some  of  her  neighbor  women  and  organ- 
ized a  "court  of  inquiry."  Taking  one  or  two  of  them  as 
assistants,  Mrs.  Davidson  came  to  Normandy  to  see,  as  she 
said,  how  the  men  "lived  in  camps."  Of  course  they  were  re- 


82  RETURN  TO  TULLAHOMA. 

ceived  with  great  politeness.  Billy  Henry,  divining  their  er- 
rand, organized  himself  into  a  committee  of  reception,  and 
showed  them  the  tents  in  which  the  men  lived  and  slept,  then 
the  officers'  quarters  to  see  how  they  lived.  They  were  curious 
to  know  how  the  men  got  along  with  their  cooking,  so  Billy 
took  them  around  the  rear  of  their  tents  and  showed  them 
how  clean  the  cooking  utensils  were,  and  in  fact  how  clean  the 
entire  camp  was.  It  is  needless  to  say  they  went  away  with 
the  highest  opinion  of  Company  E.  As  they  passed  through 
the  village  they  told  some  friends  that  the  soldiers  at  Nor- 
mandy were  too  gentlemanly  to  be  guilty  of  stealing  chickens 
and  honey,  and  that  the  rascals  evidently  had  come  from  Tulla- 
homa. 

The  rest  of  the  H5th  remained  with  the  other  regiments  of 
the  brigade  at  Wartrace  till  August  12th.  The  4Oth  Ohio  was 
still  left  there  to  garrison  the  place,  while  the  remainder  of  the 
brigade  was  ordered  forward  to  Elk  River,  which  they  reached 
toward  evening  of  the  second  day.  They  went  into  camp  on 
the  south  side  of  the  river  near  the  site  of  the  railroad  bridge 
lately  destroyed  by  the  rebels.  The  ist  Michigan  Engineers 
and  the  pioneer  brigade  were  then  very  busy  rebuilding  the 
bridge  and  putting  the  railroad  in  good  running  order. 
Among  the  troops  at  Elk  River  was  a  negro  regiment  just 
being  organized  and  drilled  for  the  service.  Considering  the 
short  time  since  they  had  left  the  plantations,  their  proficiency 
in  drilling  was  remarkable.  The  camp  of  the  H5th  was  on  a 
high,  bare  ridge  in  the  broiling  sun,  and  here  our  boys  exhibited 
the  true  characteristics  of  a  soldier.  Without  waiting  to  learn 
whether  the  stay  would  be  long  or  short,  all  went  vigorously 
to  work  to  make  a  shelter  from  the  sun.  Posts  were  set  at 
convenient  intervals  along  the  front  and  rear  of  the  rows  of 
tents,,  and  upon  these  poles  were  laid  to  support  hemlock  and 
pine  boughs.  Scarcely  was  the  camp  made  cozy  and  comforta- 
ble, however,  when  orders  came  to  break  camp,  and  on  August 
1 8th  we  began  a  retrograde  movement  towards  Tullahoma, 
which  point  was  reached  before  noon.  This  was  an  unpopular 
move,  because  the  boys  wanted  to  get  the  benefit  of  their  labor 


AT  TULLAHOMA.  8 

in  fixing  up  the  camp,  but  more  because  of  their  dislike  of  the 
backward  movement. 

The  4Oth  Ohio  had  already  come  to  Tullahoma  from  War- 
trace,  and  the  84th  Indiana  and  i8th  Ohio  Battery  came  in  the 
next  day.  The  boys  of  the  H5th  began  at  once  to  put  up 
awnings  to  protect  their  quarters  from  the  sun,  and  to  make 
camp  comfortable,  much  the  same  as  at  Elk  River,  all  un- 
mindful of  the  feet  that  the  march  might  be  resumed  the  next 
day.  Company  H  was  ordered  to  the  trestle  over  the  Little 
Nance,  two  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Tullahoma,  to  guard  it 
from  injury  by  the  marauding  bands  of  rebels  so  frequently 
prowling  around  and  liable  to  do  mischief  if  not  watched.  The 
stay  at  Tullahoma  was  cut  short  by  an  order,  on  August  23d, 
to  proceed  by  rail  to  Fosterville,  some  six  or  eight  miles  north 
of  Wartrace.  However,  the  train  was  ready  before  the  regi- 
ment, and  went  off  without  its  load  of  passengers.  As  a  result 
the  trip  had  to  be  made  on  foot,  as  usual.  Company  H  rejoined 
the  regiment  in  time  to  move  with  it,  and  all  got  started  about 
9  p.  m.,  and  marched  to  Normandy  and  went  into  camp  near 
Company  E.  That  company,  as  well  as  the  others,  was  greatly 
delighted  at  meeting  again,  though  but  for  one  night.  The 
next  morning  the  regiment,  leaving  Company  E  at  its  post, 
marched  to  Wartrace,  where  the  men  were  permitted  to  take 
passage  on  the  top  of  a  train  of  freight  cars,  which  gave  them 
a  ride  to  Fosterville. 

Here  Lieutenant-Colonel  Kinman  and  Major  Poteet  re- 
turned to  the  regiment,  greatly  benefited  by  their  brief  visit 
to  friends  at  home.  At  the  same  time  our  new  chaplain,  Rev. 
W.  S.  Crissey  of  Decatur,  joined  the  regiment.  The  men, 
having  acquired  much  skill  in  making  themselves  comfortable 
in  their  dog  tents,  were  soon  at  home  and  ready  for  a  long  or 
short  stay.  Company  B  was  detailed  to  do  guard  duty  at  a 
bridge  some  three  miles  to  the  north,  Company  E  rejoined  the 
regiment  on  the  evening  of  September  3d,  after  a  weary  march 
from  Normandy.  Though  glad  to  be  with  the  regiment  again, 
the  company  was  loath  to  leave  the  pleasant  acquaintances 
made  at  Normandy,  and  especially  the  good  fare  enjoyed  so 
bountifully  while  there. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


CHICKAMAUGA  CAMPAIGN. 

General  Rosecrans,  having  completed  the  repair  of  the  rail- 
road and  the  rebuilding  of  the  trestles  and  bridges,  and  having 
fairly  well  equipped  his  army,  deemed  himself  ready  for  an  ag- 
gressive campaign. 

General  Rosecrans'  army  consisted  of  the  following  organi- 
zations : 

I4th  Army  Corps,  Maj.-Gen.  Geo.  H.  Thomas  commanding. 
Four  divisions,  commanded  by  Generals  Baird,  Negley,  Bran- 
nan  and  Reynolds. 

2Oth  Army  Corps,  Maj.-Gen.  A.  McD.  McCook  command- 
ing. Three  divisions,  under  Generals  Davis,  Johnson  and 
Sheridan. 

2ist  Army  Corps,  Maj.-Gen.  Thos.  L.  Crittenden  command- 
ing. Three  divisions,  under  Generals  Wood,  Palmer  and  Van 
Cleve. 

Reserve  Corps,  Maj.-Gen.  Gordon  Granger  commanding. 
One  division  of  three  brigades,  Gen.  J.  B.  Steedman. 

Cavalry  Corps,  Gen.  R.  B.  Mitchell  commanding.  Two  di- 
visions, under  Col.  E.  M.  McCook  and  Gen.  Geo.  Crook. 

In  all  thirteen  divisions,  the  whole  effective  force  being  as 
follows : 

Officers.  Men.  Total. 

Infantry    3,180  5°,i79  53-359 

Cavalry 557  9,594  10,151 

Artillery 139  4,053  4,192 


Total 3.876  63,826  67,702 

General    Rosecrans'  lines  extended    from  the  head  of    the 
Sequatchie  River,  in  East  Tennessee,  to  Athens,  Ala.,  a  dis- 


POSITION  OF  FORCES.  85 

tance  of  150  miles,  with  his  main  force  along  the  Cumberland 
Mountains,  near  the  line  of  the  Nashville  &  Chattanooga  Rail- 
road. 

Major-General  Burnside,  commanding  the  Army  of  the 
Ohio,  had  entered  East  Tennessee,  and  occupied  Knoxville 
and  all  the  country  above  Loudon.  This  army  was  under 
orders  to  co-operate  with  General  Rosecrans  when  the  time 
came  to  strike  a  blow. 

Bragg's  army  occupied  Chattanooga  and  vicinity,  with  head- 
quarters at  that  city.  General  Buckner's  corps  had  been  driven 
down  the  Tennessee  valley  from  Knoxville  to  Loudon  by  the 
approach  of  Burnside,  and  soon  after  formed  a  junction  with 
Bragg's  army  near  Chattanooga.  Bragg's  army  consisted  of 
four  corps  of  infantry,  Folk's,  Hill's,  Buckner's  and  the  re- 
serve corps,  containing  in  all  nine  divisions  of  infantry,  and 
Wheeler's  and  Forrest's  cavalry  of  four  divisions.  The  whole 
effective  force,  as  shown  by  the  Confederate  returns,  was  as 
follows : 

Officers.  Men.  Total. 

Infantry    3,099  36,558  39,657 

Cavalry 1,275  15428  16,703 

Artillery 165  3,388  3,553 


Total 4,539  55,374  59,913 

This  does  not  include  Longstreet's  corps,  which  joined 
Bragg  on  the  i9th  and  2Oth  of  September,  in  time  to  par- 
ticipate in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  It  will  be  seen  the 
Union  forces  slightly  outnumbered  the  Confederates  until 
Longstreet's  arrival,  after  which  the  Confederates  had  the  ad- 
vantage in  numbers.  Of  course  it  must  be  understood  that  a 
considerable  portion  of  each  army  was  detained  garrisoning 
posts  in  the  rear,  so  that  the  whole  force  could  never  be  en- 
gaged in  a  battle. 

The  general  course  of  the  Tennessee  River  through  East 
Tennessee  is  from  northeast  to  southwest,  the  range  of  the 
Cumberland  Mountains  being  parallel  thereto  about  twenty  or 
thirty  miles  to  the  west.  Walden's  Ridge  extends  in  the  same 


THEATER  OF  THE  CAMPAIGN  FOR  CHATTANOOGA. 


VIEW  OF  THE  COUNTRY.  87 

direction,  nearer  the  river,  and  is  separated  from  the  Cum- 
berland Mountains  by  the  valley  of  the  Sequatchie  River.  A 
few  miles  below  Chattanooga  the  river  suddenly  changes 
course  to  the  west  and  northwest,  passing  through  the  gorge 
at  the  southern  end  of  Walden's  Ridge,  and  thence  continues 
its  general  course  to  the  southwest.  Sand  Mountain  or  Rac- 
coon Mountain,  and  Lookout  Mountain,  separated  by  the  deep 
valley  of  Lookout  Creek,  continue  towards  the  southwest,  as 
a  continuation  of  Walden's  Ridge,  the  river  below  Chatta- 
nooga being  on  the  northwest  side  of  the  mountains.  These 
mountains  are  elevated  about  2,200  feet  above  sea  level,  and 
some  1,200  to  i, 600  feet  above  the  valleys  adjacent. 

Missionary  Ridge,  elevated  about  500  feet  above  the  valley, 
extends  from  near  the  Tennessee  River  four  or  five  miles  above 
Chattanooga,  a  little  west  of  south,  a  distance  of  about  fifteen 
miles,  terminating  a  short  distance  west  of  Crawfish  Springs. 
Chattanooga  Creek  runs  parallel  to  this  ridge,  between  it  and 
Lookout  Mountain,  emptying  into  the  Tennessee  River  near 
the  base  of  the  latter.  The  West  Chickamauga  Creek  or  River 
runs  in  the  same  general  direction  on  the  east  side  of  Mission- 
ary Ridge  from  south  to  the  east  of  north,  the  upper  portion 
of  its  valley  being  known  as  McLemore's  Cove.  Pigeon 
Mountain  extends  in  the  same  general  direction  east  of  the 
Cove,  and  La  Fayette  is  in  the  valley  of  Chattooga  River  east 
of  Pigeon  Mountain.  All  these  mountains  were  passable  only 
at  certain  depressions,  called  passes. 

Chattanooga,  the  headquarters  of  Bragg's  army  and  the  ob- 
jective point  of  Rosecrans'  campaign,  then  a  town  of  2,000  or 
3,000  population,  is  situated  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Ten- 
nessee River  three  or  four  miles  above  the  point  of  Lookout 
Mountain.  Being  hemmed  in  by  the  mountains,  it  was  looked 
upon  as  a  place  of  great  natural  strength,  and  easily  defended 
by  a  comparatively  small  force.  The  Cumberland  Moun- 
tains, the  Sequatchie  Valley,  Waiden's  Ridge  and  the  Ten- 
nessee River  were  all  to  be  crossed  in  a  direct  approach  to 
Chattanooga.  Part  of  these  obstacles  could  be  avoided  by  fol- 
lowing the  line  of  the  railroad  to  the  southeast  to  Stevenson, 
Ala.,  and  thence  northeastward.  Here  Sand  Mountain  and 


88  MOVEMENT   AGAINST   CHATTANOOGA. 

Lookout  Mountain  intervened.  Such  were  some  of  the  ob- 
stacles to  be  overcome  by  Rosecrans,  in  his  attack  upon  the 
enemy's  stronghold. 

Sheridan's  division  of  McCook's  corps  crossed  the  Cumber- 
land Mountains  and  occupied  Stevenson  and  Bridgeport  as 
soon  as  the  railroad  was  repaired,  about  August  ist.  On  the 
i6th  the  general  forward  movement  began.  The  21  st  corps 
moved  in  three  columns :  Wood's  division  went  via  Pelham 
to  Thurman's  in  the  Sequatchie  Valley  nearly  north  of  Chat- 
tanooga ;  Palmer's  to  Dunlap,  farther  up ;  Van  Cleve's  to 
Pikeville,  near  the  head  of  the  valley.  The  i4th  corps  was  in 
two  columns,  Reynolds'  and  Brannan's  divisions  from  Uni- 
versity north  of  Cowens,  over  the  mountains  and  down  Battle 
Creek  to  its  mouth ;  Negley's  and  Baird's  via  the  railroad  to 
Stevenson.  The  2Oth  corps  also  was  in  two  columns :  John- 
son's division  from  Salem,  some  twenty  miles  south  of 
Decherd,  to  Belmont,  near  the  Tennessee  River,  twenty-five 
miles  below  Bridgeport ;  Davis'  division  along  the  line  of  the 
railroad  to  Stevenson. 

On  his  arrival  in  Sequatchie  Valley,  General  Crittenden  sent 
Hazen's  brigade  of  infantry  to  reconnoitre  the  neighborhood  of 
Harrison's  landing,  about  twelve  miles  above  Chattanooga ; 
Minty's  cavalry  brigade  to  reconnoitre  as  far  up  the  river  as 
Washington ;  Wilder's  brigade  of  mounted  infantry,  sup- 
ported by  Wagner's  brigade  of  infantry,  to  make  a  recon- 
naissance directly  opposite  Chattanooga.  All  these  move- 
ments were  completed  by  the  2Oth  or  2ist.  General  Wilder's 
brigade  alarmed  the  Confederates  in  Chattanooga  very  greatly, 
by  throwing  some  shells  into  the  town  while  they  were  engaged 
in  prayer,  it  being  Fast  Day. 

This  movement  over  the  mountains,  directly  against  Chat- 
tanooga and  to  the  river  above,  had  the  desired  effect,  in  lead- 
ing the  rebels  to  believe  the  main  attack  would  be  made  in  that 
quarter.  However,  Rosecrans  had  other  plans.  The  rest  of 
Crittenden's  corps  moved  down  the  Sequatchie  Valley  and 
joined  Thomas'  corps  at  Battle  Creek,  all  concealed  from  the 
rebels  by  Walden's  Ridge  and  the  Raccoon  Mountains.  On 
the  2d,  3d  and  4th  of  September,  these  two  corps  crossed  the 


MOVEMENT  AGAINST   CHATTANOOGA.  89 

river  at  Shell  Mound,  Bridgeport,  and  Caperton  Ferry, 
Thomas'  corps  moved  forward  at  once,  over  Sand  Mountain, 
and  occupied  Trenton,  Ga.,  on  the  5th.  The  next  day  John- 
son's Crook,  eight  or  ten  miles  farther  south,  and  Steven's 
Gap  in  Lookout  Mountain  were  occupied.  McCook's  corps 
had  begun  crossing  the  river  at  Caperton  Ferry,  opposite 
Stevenson,  and  at  Bridgeport  as  early  as  August  29th,  and  on 
September  3d  Davis'  division  reached  Will's  Valley,  and  on 
the  4th  Johnson's  division  reached  Winston's  Gap  in  Lookout 
Mountain,  42  miles  south  of  Chattanooga  and  25  miles  from 
Caperton's  Ferry.  On  the  8th  Broomtown  Valley  was  occu- 
pied, and  on  the  gih  Davis'  division  moved  on  Alpine  and  Sum- 
merville,  Ga.,  25  to  30  miles  south  of  La  Fayette,  and  50  miles 
from  Chattanooga. 

No  sooner  had  McCook  and  Thomas  crossed  the  Tennessee 
River  than  Bragg  was  advised  of  the  fact.  He  then  saw  that 
the  real  movement  was  against  his  rear  and  left,  and  that  his 
communications  to  his  base  of  supplies  were  threatened.  His 
fears  were  intensified  when  he  learned  that  Trenton,  McLe- 
more's  Cove,  and  even  the  gaps  and  valleys  beyond  were  oc- 
cupied by  the  Union  forces.  Though  reenforced  by  "two 
small  divisions"  from  Mississippi,  he  feared  to  divide  his  army. 
The  Union  army  .must  be  intercepted  in  its  course  to  Dalton, 
and  the  line  of  railroad  to  Atlanta.  Therefore,  he  began  the 
evacuation  of  Chattanooga  on  the  7th,  and  had  reached  Craw- 
fish Springs  on  the  8th,  leaving  only  a  small  cavalry  force  in 
observation  at  Chattanooga.  Crittenden's  corps,  after  cross- 
ing the  river  at  Shell  Mound,  reconnoitred  the  adjacent  moun- 
tains to  Lookout  Valley,  and  early  on  September  9th,  being 
advised  that  the  enemy  was  leaving  Chattanooga,  crossed  over 
the  point  of  Lookout  Mountain  and  occupied  the  city.  The 
infantry  brigades  of  Generals  Hazen  and  Wagner,  and  Wil- 
der's  brigade  of  mounted  infantry  and  Minty's  brigade  of 
cavalry,  which  had  occupied  the  Tennessee  Valley  opposite 
Chattanooga,  continually  changing  position  to  magnify  their 
strength,  crossed  the  river  and  joined  the  rest  of  the  corps 
soon  after  its  arrival.  General  Rosecrans,  believing  that 
Bragg's  army  was  in  full  retreat,  ordered  Crittenden  to  make 


MOVEMENTS  IN  MCLEMORE'S  COVE. 


MOVEMENT   AGAINST   CHATTANOOGA.  91 

a  vigorous  pursuit,  leaving  General  Wagner  in  command  of 
the  post,  with  his  brigade  as  garrison.  General  Crittenden 
moved  forward,  with  Palmer's,  Van  Cleve's  and  Wood's  divis- 
ions, but  instead  of  following  Bragg  directly  south  on  the  La 
Fayette  road,  he  pushed  on  towards  Tunnel  Hill  and  Dalton, — 
two  of  the  divisions  going  as  far  as  Ringgold,  and  Wilder's 
brigade  to  Tunnel  Hill,  or  beyond. 

Bragg's  headquarters  were  moved  to  La  Fayette  on  the  loth, 
and  the  principal  part  of  his  force  was  near  there  in  the  Chat- 
tooga  Valley,  east  of  Pigeon  Mountain,  Buckner's  corps  had 
come  down  from  the  Hiawassee,  crossing  by  way  of  Ringgold, 
ahead  of  Crittenden's  advance,  and  joined  Bragg's  forces  near 
Peavine  Church,  about  six  miles  southeast  of  Crawfish 
Springs.  A  glance  at  the  map  will  show  how  easily  Bragg 
could  have  taken  Rosecrans'  army  in  detail,  and  literally  have 
worked  its  destruction.  His  force  was  in  a  compact  body  in 
the  vicinity  of  La  Fayette,  while  Rosecrans'  army  was  scat- 
tered over  a  distance  of  sixty  miles,  McCook's  corps  being  at 
Alpine  and  in  Broomtown  Valley,  25  miles  to  the  south,  while 
Thomas'  corps  was  in  McLemore's  Cove,  directly  across 
Pigeon  Mountain,  less  than  ten  miks  away,  and  Crittenden's 
corps  was  hunting  for  the  enemy  in  the  neighborhood  of  Ring- 
gold.  Fortunately  for  our  cause,  General  Bragg  did  not  know 
his  advantage.  He  would  not  believe  that  any  Union  infantry 
were  south  of  him ;  certainly  he  had  no  idea  of  McCook's  dan- 
gerous position.  Another  fortunate  fact  was  that  Bragg's 
corps  commanders  were  never  ready  to  act  when  he  gave  them 
orders.  In  the  meantime  Rosecrans  awoke  to  his  peril.  He 
learned  that  his  enemy  was  not  on  retreat,  but  that  his  own 
army  was  in  danger  of  destruction,  and  that  his  only  safety 
lay  in  the  rapid  concentration  of  his  forces.  On  September 
1 2th  Crittenden's  corps  was  rapidly  withdrawn  from  Ringgold, 
across  Peavine  Creek  and  the  Chickamauga,  to  Lee  &  Gor- 
don's Mills.  General  McCook  began  a  wonderful  forced  march 
northward  from  Alpine,  joining  General  Thomas  in  McLe- 
more's Cove  on  the  i/th.  On  the  i8th  the  movement  was 
continued  down  the  valley  to  Crawfish  Springs,  McCook's 
corps  being  still  several  miles  behind. 


92  STEEDMAN'S  BRIGADE. 

Let  us  look  again  at  the  reserve  corps.  The  third  division, 
Brig.-Gen.  R.  S.  Granger  commanding,  was  left  to  garrison 
Nashville  and  adjacent  points.  The  third  brigade,  Gen.  John 
Coburn's,  of  our  first  division,  and  the  first  and  third  brig- 
ades of  General  Morgan's  division,  were  scattered  along  the 
line  of  the  Nashville  &  Chattanooga  Railroad,  and  remained 
on  that  duty  until  after  the  battle. 

Three  brigades  with  Maj.-Gen.  Gordon  Granger,  the  corps 
commander,  at  their  head,  were  destined  to  play  a  much  more 
important  part  in  the  campaign.  Two  of  these  of  the  first 
division,  Brig.-Gen.  James  B.  Steedman  commanding,  were 
composed  as  follows : 

ist  Brigade,  Col.  Thomas  E.  Champion  commanding. 
96th  Illinois,  Lieut. -Col.  Isaac  L.  Clarke. 
Ii5th  Illinois,  Col.  Jesse  H.  Moore. 
84th  Indiana,  Col.  Nelson  Trusler. 
40th  Ohio,  Lieut.-Col.  Wm.  Jones. 
22d  Michigan,   Col.   Heber  Le  Favour. 
8o,th  Ohio,  Col.   Caleb  H.   Carlton. 
i8th  Ohio  Battery,  Capt.  Charles  C.  Aleshire. 

2nd  Brigade,  Col.  John  G.  Mitchell  commanding. 
78th  Illinois.  Lieut.  Col.  Carter  Van  Vleck. 
pSth   Ohio,   Capt.    Moses  J.   Urquhart. 
U3th  Ohio,  Lieut.-Col.  D.  B.  Warner. 
I2ist  Ohio,  Lieut.-Col.  Henry  B.  Banning. 

ist    Illinois    Light   Artillery,    Battery    M,    Lieut.    Thos. 
Burton. 

2d  Brigade,  2d  Division,  Col.  Daniel  McCook  commanding. 
85th  Illinois,  Col.  Caleb  J.  Dilworth. 
86th  Illinois,  Lieut.-Col.  Daniel  W.  Magee. 
I25th  Illinois,  Col.  Oscar  F.  Harmon. 
52d  Ohio,  Maj.  James  T.  Holmes. 
6o.th  Ohio,  Lieut.-Col.  Joseph  H.  Brigham. 
2d  Illinois  Light  Artillery,   Battery  I,  Capt.   C.   M. 
Barnett. 

The  22d  Michigan  and  Sgth  Ohio  were  only  temporarily  at- 
tached to  Whitaker's  brigade,  and  in  like  manner  the  6o,th 
Ohio  was  temporarily  attached  to  McCook's  brigade.  When 
Rosecrans  crossed  the  Tennessee  with  his  three  advance  corps, 


FORCED  MARCH  TO  ROSSVILLE.  93 

these  three  brigades  moved  forward  to  support  them,  as  the 
reserve  might  be  expected  to  do.  The  ii5th  left  Fosterville 
on  the  5th  and  camped  that  night  at  Wartrace,  the  next  night 
at  Tullahoma.  At  daylight  on  the  /th  it  was  again  on  the  road, 
followed  by  the  84th  Indiana  and  4Oth  Ohio.  At  Decherd 
the  96th  joined  our  column  and  all  reached  Cowen  Station, 
near  the  foot  of  the  Cumberland  Mountains,  by  nightfall.  The 
next  morning  reveille  sounded  at  three  o'clock,  and  very  soon 
afterward  the  brigade  was  on  the  march  up  the  mountain  side. 
At  Tantalon,  on  the  south  side  of  the  mountain,  the  second 
brigade  joined  us.  Twelve  miles  of  mountain  climbing  made 
the  men  weary  for  the  night's  rest  in  Crow  Creek  Valley. 
Another  day's  march  brought  us  to  Stevenson,  Ala.,  and  the 
following  day  to  Bridgeport,  on  the  Tennessee  River,  at  the 
crossing  of  the  Nashville  &  Chattanooga  Railroad.  Here  a 
day's  rest  was  given  the  troops,  which  was  greatly  needed. 
Having  marched  so  far  through  heat  and  dust,  they  were  glad 
of  an  opportunity  for  a  good  bath  afforded  by  the  river.  All 
knapsacks,  officers'  carpet  bags  and  all  other  luggage  that 
could  possibly  be  spared  on  a  rapid  march,  were  stored  at 
Bridgeport.  Orders  came  to  move  in  "light  marching  order." 
It  was  now  understood  that  Bragg  was  on  the  retreat.  The 
query  was,  "Would  he  attempt  to  make  a  stand  this  side  of 
Atlanta?" 

At  sunrise  on  the  I3th,  the  column  was  under  way,  moving 
up  the  Tennessee  River  towards  Chattanooga,  having  crossed 
to  the  south  side  on  the  I2th.  Supposing  the  commissary 
department  would  keep  up  with  the  command,  the  men  car- 
ried very  little  of  rations.  At  any  rate,  what  they  carried  was 
mostly  consumed  during  the  day's  march,  and  when  a  short 
halt  was  made  for  supper  and  rest  near  Whiteside,  at  about 
10  p.  m.,  very  few  had  anything  more  than  a  little  coffee.  The 
night  was  dark  and  the  road  rough,  and  in  places  quite  steep. 
The  army  was  already  concentrating  in  Chickamauga  Valley,, 
and  our  three  brigades  were  needed.  No  time  could  be  lost, 
so  our  rest  was  short,  and  before  midnight  the  column  was 
moving  forward  up  the  mountain.  Daylight  found  us  in  Look- 
out Valley,  in  plain  view  of  the  grand  mountain  of  that  name. 


*H  FORCED  MARCH  TO  ROSSVILLE. 

At  eight  o'clock  a  halt  was  made  for  breakfast,  but  as  our 
commissary  train  had  fallen  far  behind,  it  was  the  play  of 
Hamlet,  with  Hamlet  left  out.  The  haversacks  were  mostly 
empty.  Some  had  a  little  coffee,  but  most  of  us  had  nothing 
but  a  little  corn,  then  quite  hard,  gathered  from  the  fields. 
Very  soon  the  bugle  gave  the  command  "forward."  On  a 
more  leisurely  journey,  the  lovely  scenery  would  have  attracted 
attention.  The  bold  palisades  of  old  Lookout  rising  to  our 
right,  the  Raccoon  Mountains  to  our  left,  and  the  rocky  brows 
of  Walden's  Ridge  in  front,  across  the  Tennessee,  with  the 
valleys  intervening,  presented  a  picture  of  surpassing  beauty. 
Of  course  they  would  not  be  passed  unnoticed,  but  we  were 
then  on  an  errand  of  business,  and  too  much  in  a  hurry  to 
spare  the  time  to  take  them  in.  Before  noon  the  column 
passed  over  the  point  of  Lookout  Mountain,  and  immediately 
took  a  bee  line  across  Chattanooga  Valley  towards  Rossville, 
Ga.,  leaving  the  city  of  Chattanooga  two  or  three  miles  to  the 
left.  From  the  mountain  we  had  an  excellent  view  of  Chat- 
tanooga, Missionary  Ridge,  the  Tennessee  Valley  and  Wal- 
den's Ridge  beyond.  The  day  was  warm,  the  roads  dusty,  and 
the  men  very  tired  and  sleepy  from  the  long  march  without 
food  or  rest.  About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  the  command 
bivouaced  in  the  woods  adjoining  Rossville  on  the  south. 
Many  were  almost  exhausted.  Hungry  as  they  were,  within 
an  hour  all  were  sound  asleep.  Not  even  the  usual  detail  of 
pickets  was  excepted.  And  how  that  night's  sleep  was  en- 
joyed! The  sun  was  high  in  the  heavens  before  anyone  was 
seen  stirring. 

Finally  the  sleep  was  over  and  the  boys  began  to  look  for 
something  to  eat.  There  was  nothing  in  sight.  The  wagons 
had  not  reported,  and  the  only  resource  was  the  country,  which 
fortunately  was  well  supplied.  Some  one  started  the  rumor 
that  we  were  expected  to  live  off  the  citizens,  and  very  soon 
the  foragers  were  busy,  and  large  quantities  of  fresh  beef,  veal, 
pork  and  poultry,  potatoes,  honey,  etc.,  were  coming  to  camp. 
The  firing  on  the  "cattle  brigade"  sounded  like  heavy  skir- 
mishing, and  when  the  cause  was  made  known  to  General 
Granger  there  was  excitement  at  Rossville.  His  regular  army 


CAPT.  JESSE  HANON. 
COMPANY  A. 


FORAGING  FOR  FOOD.  95 

ideas  of  discipline  would  not  tolerate  anything  of  the  sort ;  the 
offenders  must  be  arrested  and  punished.  The  first  order  was 
that  a  patrol  of  the  cavalry  escort  be  sent  out  to  bring  in  the 
foragers,  but  the  only  result  was  that  when  a  soldier  was  met 
laden  with  provender,  he  was  warned  to  slip  in  through  the 
rear  part  of  camp  and  avoid  the  roads.  Soon  learning  that 
his  effort  was  a  failure,  other  cavalrymen  in  charge  of  officers 
were  sent  out.  Of  course  the  orders  were  then  obeyed,  but 
most  of  the  food  had  been  safely  housed,  and  the  boys  were 
getting  a  good  square  meal.  Not  so  with  the  hundred  or  more 
unlucky  fellows  who  were  caught  and  taken  to  headquarters. 
Their  loads  were  piled  near  headquarters,  and  they  were  tied 
to  the  fence  and  to  trees.  The  news  spread  rapidly,  and  with 
it  intense  excitement  among  the  boys.  Large  crowds  soon 
gathered  around  the  big  spring  near  the  fence  surrounding 
headquarters.  Possibly  General  Granger  scented  difficulty. 
At  any  rate,  he  soon  discovered  that  the  prisoners  all  belonged 
to  General  Steedman's  division  and  turned  the  matter  of  disci- 
pline over  to  that  officer,  saying  he  expected  all  the  guilty  men 
to  be  severely  punished.  When  this  action  was  reported  to 
Colonel  Moore  he  was  wrathy,  too.  He  had  had  some  of  the 
"mutton,"  and  was  not  willing  that  the  enterprising  boys  who 
brought  it  should  be  punished.  With  fire  in  his  eyes,  he  rushed 
over  to  General  Steedman's  headquarters,  where  he  learned 
that  an  order  had  been  issued  for  the  release  of  the  men  under 
arrest  with  a  mild  reprimand  in  the  way  of  a  suggestion  to  not 
do  so  any  more.  Colonel  Moore  inquired  of  General  Steed- 
man  whether  he  supposed  General  Granger  really  intended  to 
have  the  men  whipped.  An  affirmative  reply  made  the  colonel 
boil  with  anger.  With  great  energy  and  emotion,  he  said, 
"General,  it  would  not  have  been  permitted.  I  had  made  up 
my  mind  I  would  die  before  one  of  my  men  should  be 
whipped."  "Stop  that !  Stop  that !  Go  to  your  quarters," 
was  the  general's  prompt  reply.  "I  will  obey  you,  General," 
said  the  colonel,  as  he  left  the  tent,  "but  I  meant  what  I  said." 
His  remarks  were  meant  for  the  general  only,  but  went  by 
"telegraph"  all  through  the  camp,  and  by  the  time  the  colonel 
reached  his  headquarters,  the  22d  Michigan  band  was  there 


96  FORAGING  FOR  FOOD. 

with  a  great  crowd,  serenading  him.  The  colonel  was  a  splen- 
did speaker,  and  responded  in  a  thoroughly  patriotic  address, 
reviewing  briefly  the  hard  march  they  had  gone  through  and 
suggesting  the  battle  that  might  be  expected  very  soon.  He 
urged  upon  them  the  supreme  importance  of  discipline  and 
obedience  to  orders  of  superiors.  No  mention  was  made  of 
the  arrest  of  the  men,  nor  of  their  sudden  release,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  speech  the  band  struck  up  a  patriotic  air  and  the 
crowd  was  soon  scattered  to  their  quarters,  all  in  the  best  of 
humor. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


BATTLE  OF  CHICKAMAUGA. 

The  1 6th  was  spent  in  a  general  inspection  and  review,  and 
in  practical  preparation  for  real  work.  Each  man  was  given 
sixty  rounds  of  good  ammunition,  defective  cartridges  being 
thrown  away.  Rumors  that  Crittenden's  corps  had  fallen  back 
several  miles,  and  that  skirmishing  at  the  front  was  of  daily 
occurrence  added  interest  to  our  work.  On  the  i/th  General 
Steedman  with  six  regiments  and  a  battery,  made  a  reconnais- 
sance as  far  as  Ringgold.  From  the  hills  beyond  that  village 
he  was  able  to  see  a  great  cloud  of  dust  rising  from  the  roads 
leading  from  Tunnel  Hill  towards  La  Fayette,  and  he  pru- 
dently retired  as  quickly  as  possible  to  the  west  side  of  the 
Chickamauga,  and  returned  to  Rossville  early  the  next  morn- 
ing. We  shall  better  understand  what  is  to  be  said  about  the 
battle  by  a  little  study  of  the  ground  on  which  it  was  fought. 

The  battle  ground  was  among  the  hills  and  in  the  valleys 
near  and  along  the  Chattanooga  and  La  Fayette  road,  be- 
tween the  west  fork  of  the  Chickamauga  and  Missionary 
Ridge,  from  eight  to  twelve  miles  south  of  Chattanooga.  It 
will  be  seen,  by  reference  to  the  map,  that  the  Chickamauga 
is  a  very  crooked  stream,  its  general  course  being  in  a  north- 
erly direction.  Missionary  Ridge  extends  in  the  same  general 
direction  from  a  point  two  miles  west  of  Crawfish  Springs  in 
the  north  part  of  McLemore's  Cove  to  the  Tennessee  River, 
the  distance  from  the  Chickamauga  to  the  Ridge  being  from 
four  to  six  miles.  Rossville,  the  old  home  of  Chief  John  Ross 
of  the  Cherokee  Indians  when  that  noble  tribe  lived  in  Georgia, 
is  at  the  west  entrance  to  Rossville  Gap  in  Missionary  Ridge, 
four  miles  from  Chattanooga.  The  Chattanooga  and  La  Fay- 
ette road,  leading  through  this  gap  and  turning  southward  at 


CHICKAMAUGA  CAMPAIGN  SKELETONIZED. 


TABLE  OF  DISTANCES.  99 

its  junction  with  the  Ringgold  road,  its  course  being  almost 
due  south  from  Cloud's  Spring  to  Lee  &  Gordon's  Mills,  was 
the  central  line  of  the  action.  The  Crawfish  Springs  road, 
crossing  the  ridge  at  McFarland's  Gap,  two  and  three-fourths 
miles  south  of  Rossville,  leads  southeast  two  and  one-half 
miles  to  Vittetoe's  place,  and  thence  nearly  south,  at  a  distance 
of  about  one  mile  from  the  La  Fayette  road,  to  Crawfish 
Springs.  The  names  of  the  other  roads  referred  to  will  be 
apparent  from  the  names  of  the  places  connected  by  them.  The 
battle  field  proper  extends  from  Cloud's  Spring,  on  the  La 
Fayette  road,  two  and  one-half  miles  from  Rossville  Gap,  to 
Lee  &  Gordon's  Mills,  and  from  Jay's  Mill  on  the  east  to  the 
Crawfish  Springs  road  on  the  west,  including  more  than  7,000 
acres  of  land. 

The  following  table  of  distances,  with  the  aid  of  the  map, 
will  enable  the  reader  to  form  a  pretty  clear  idea  of  the  ground 
covered  by  the  several  movements. 

Chattanooga  to  Rossville 4.00  Miles. 

Rossville  to  McAfee  Church 3.00       " 

Rossville  to   Cloud's   Spring 3.20       " 

Cloud's  Spring  to  McDonald's i 75        " 

McDonald's  to  Kelly's  field 82 

Kelly's  field  to  Poe's  place 72       " 

Poe's  to  Brotherton's  25 

Brotherton's  to  Viniard's i.oo 

Viniard's  to  Lee  &  Gordon's  Mills 1.50 

Kelly's  field  to  Jay's  Mills 1.50       " 

Kelly's  to  Winfrey's    i.oo 

Viniard's  to  Widow   Glenn's 75 

McDonald's  to  Reed's  Bridge 2.50 

Widow  Glenn's  to  Kelly's 2.00 

Viniard's  to  Hall's  Ford i.oo       " 

Viniard's  to  Jay's  Mill 2.80       " 

Viniard's  to  Alexander's  Bridge 2.45        " 

Snodgrass  Hill  to  McFarland's  Gap 2.45        " 

Snodgrass'  House  to  Kelly's 62       " 

Snodgrass'  House  to  Brotherton's 1.30       " 

Snodgrass'  House  to  McDonald's 1.34       " 

Snodgrass'  House  to  Cloud's 1.70       " 

Snodgrass'  House  to  Widow  Glenn's 1.80       " 

Chattanooga  to  Lee  &  Gordon's 12.00       " 

Lee  &  Gordon's  to  La  Fayette 13-50       " 


THE  NATIONAL  PARK  AND  ITS  APPROACHES. 


FEDERAL  MOVEMENTS.  101 

A  valley  extends  along  the  Crawfish  Springs  road  from  Vit- 
tetoe's  south ;  east  of  that  there  is  a  range  of  low  hills  from 
Widow  Glenn's  northward  to  the  base  of  Snodgrass  Hill. 
Thence  eastward  the  land  generally  slopes  towards  the  La 
Fayette  road.  From  that  road  to  the  creek  the  country  is  mod- 
erately rolling,  with  considerable  spaces  of  nearly  level  land. 
There  were  cleared  fields  at  Cloud's,  McDonald's,  Kelly's, 
Poe's,  Brotherton's,  Viniard's,  Glenn's,  Dyer's,  Vittetoe's, 
Snodgrass'  and  Mullis'  places,  with  large  tracts  of  timberland 
between  them.  From  the  La  Fayette  road  to  the  creek  there 
was  a  continuous  forest,  except  Kelly's,  Brock's,  Winfrey's 
and  perhaps  a  few  other  small  fields.  There  was  a  dense  forest 
between  Snodgrass'  house  and  Kelly's  field.  Snodgrass  Hill 
was  in  native  woods,  including  both  north  and  south  slopes,  as 
was  all  the  country  between  there  and  Missionary  Ridge. 
From  Snodgrass'  house  to  Cloud's  there  was  a  series  of  cleared 
fields. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  i8th  of  September  Whitaker's  brig- 
ade marched  out  the  Ringgold  road  with  the  view  of  taking 
possession  of  Redhouse  bridge  over  the  Chickamauga,  if  it 
could  be  done  without  bringing  on  a  general  engagement. 
On  reaching  Spring  Creek,  a  half  mile  beyond  McAfee  church, 
the  advance  was  fired  on  by  Scott's  brigade  of  Forrest's  cav- 
alry corps.  A  line  of  skirmishers  from  the  96th  Illinois  and  a 
section  of  Aleshire's  battery  drove  the  Confederates  before 
them  a  half  a  mile  or  more,  but  with  a  loss  of  one  killed  and 
three  wrounded  on  our  side.  Night  coming  on,  and  the  Con- 
federates having  withdrawn  from  our  front,  we  rested  there 
under  arms,  till  four  o'clock  the  next  morning.  The  command 
then  quietly  withdrew  to  McAfee  church. 

At  the  same  time  our  brigade  was  thus  operating  on  the 
Rossville  and  Ringgold  road,  Gen.  Bushroad  Johnson's  divis- 
ion of  Hood's  Confederate  corps  was  on  its  way  from  Ring- 
gold  to  Lee  &  Gordon's  Mills  via  Reed's  bridge.  At  Peavine 
Creek,  some  three  miles  from  the  bridge,  they  met  Colonel 
Minty's  cavalry  brigade,  which  disputed  their  passage  so 
stoutly  that  it  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  they  effected  a 
crossing  of  the  Chickamauga.  Colonel  Minty  having  called 


102  FEDERAL  MOVEMENTS. 

for  support,  Col.  Ed.  McCook's  brigade  supported  by  Colonel 
Mitchell's  brigade,  pushed  out  the  Reed's  bridge  road,  reach- 
ing the  vicinity  of  Jay's  Mill  about  the  time  the  rear  of  John- 
son's division  was  moving  off  towards  Lee  &  Gordon's  Mills, 
but  in  time  for  a  brisk  skirmish  with  McNair's  brigade,  cap- 
turing 22  prisoners.  The  command  bivouaced  there  under 
arms,  supposing  that  only  a  single  Confederate  brigade  had 
crossed  the  creek.  Early  the  next  morning  the  6o,th  Ohio 
drove  the  rebel  guard  from  the  bridge  and  destroyed  it,  after 
which  these  two  brigades  retired  to  the  vicinity  of  McAfee 
church,  to  rejoin  Whitaker's  brigade. 

The  i8th  was  also  a  busy  day  with  the  other  three  corps  of 
our  army.  All  day  and  all  night  the  troops  were  on  the  weary 
march  getting  into  position  to  meet  the  enemy,  or  to  intercept 
him  in  his  efforts  to  return  to  Chattanooga.  Baird's  and 
Brannan's  divisions  of  General  Thomas'  corps  made  a  won- 
derful march  that  night,  from  three  or  four  miles  south  of 
Crawfish  Springs,  via  Widow  Glenn's  place  and  across  Dyer's 
farm  to  the  woods  east  of  Kelly's  farm.  Night  marches  are 
necessarily  tedious ;  a  broken  wheel  or  axle  may  delay  the 
whole  column  for  hours.  All  in  uncertainty  as  to  what  mo- 
ment the  obstruction  may  be  removed,  the  weary  men  stand 
and  wait.  A  trivial  matter  for  daylight  marching  becomes  a 
serious  hindrance  in  the  darkness.  These  brave  men,  with 
the  sturdy  Thomas  at  the  head  of  the  column,  pushed  steadily 
forward,  and  in  spite  of  difficulties,  at  7  a.  m.  on  the  iQth,  were 
taking  position  beyond  Kelly's  field.  In  the  evening  of  the 
i8th  Crittenden's  corps  took  position  near  Lee  &  Gordon's 
Mills,  Wood's  division  on  the  right  in  front  of  the  mill,  Van 
Cleve's  next,  extending  down  the  river,  east  of  the  La  Fay- 
ette  road,  and  Palmer's  division  on  the  left,  fronting  north- 
east, his  left  resting  on  the  road  a  half  mile  south  of  Viniard's. 
Gen.  J.  J.  Reynolds'  division  of  Thomas'  corps  left  Pond 
Spring,  ten  miles  southwest  of  Crawfish  Springs,  at  4  p.  m.  on 
the  i8th,  and  marched  all  night,  breakfasting  near  Crawfish 
Springs  the  next  morning.  At  the  same  time  General  Neg- 
ley's  division  of  Thomas'  corps  moved  down  from  Owen's  ford, 
two  or  three  miles  south  of  Crawfish  Springs,  and  took  position 


CONFEDERATE  MOVEMENTS.  103 

opposite  Glass'  Mill.  McCook's  2Oth  corps  was  ordered  for- 
ward from  Steven's  Gap  and  arrived  at  Crawfish  Springs  early 
on  the  iQth,  Gen.  R.  B.  Mitchell's  cavalry  being  farther  up  the 
cove  taking  care  of  the  extreme  right. 

General  Bragg  had  repeatedly  given  orders  for  an  attack 
on  portions  of  the  Union  forces  while  so  scattered  from  Alpine 
to  Lee  &  Gordon's  Mills,  but  as  often  failed  to  secure  their 
execution.  General  Bragg's  plan  was  to  concentrate  his  army 
near  the  Chickamauga,  opposite  Lee  &  Gordon's  Mills,  and  if 
possible  throw  his  force  between  Rosecrans  and  Chattanooga. 
Rosecrans  seeming  to  realize  somewhat  the  character  of 
Bragg's  plans  and  the  danger  to  his  army,  was  hastening  to 
concentrate  his  forces  in  the  valley  below  Crawfish  Springs 
in  order  to  forestall  General  Bragg's  movements.  On  the  i8th 
Hill's  corps  was  in  position  opposite  Glass'  Mill,  Folk's  corps 
was  opposite  Lee  &  Gordon's  Mills  and  Buckner's  corps  at 
Thedford's  ford  and,  as  we  have  seen,  Bushrod  Johnson's  di- 
vision was  marching  from  Ringgold  to  near  Lee  &  Gordon's. 
Longstreet's  corps,  from  Virginia,  was  hastening  to  Bragg's 
assistance  and  was  then  approaching  Ringgold.  On  the  af- 
ternoon of  the  1 8th  Walker's  corps  attempted  to  cross  at  Al- 
exander's bridge,  but  being  hotly  resisted  by  Wilder's  mounted 
brigade  which  tore  up  the  bridge,  he  was  compelled  to  cross 
at  Byram's  ford,  a  mile  farther  down.  The  creek  was  passed 
during  the  night  and  the  corps  bivouaced  a  half  mile  west 
of  Alexander's  bridge.  During  the  night  and  very  early  in  the 
morning  of  the  ipth  Stewart's  and  Preston's  divisions  of  Buck- 
ner's corps  crossed  the  Chickamauga  at  Dalton's  and  Hall's 
fords  and  took  position  in  column  by  brigades  in  the  bend 
of  the  creek  southeast  of  Viniard's,  facing  west.  Gen.  Bush- 
rod  Johnson's  division  and  General  Law's  division  of  Hood's 
corps  had  bivouaced  in  line  of  battle  on  Buckner's  right,  about 
a  half-mile  east  of  the  La  Fayette  road,  their  left  being  near 
Lee  &  Gordon's  Mills  and  Alexander's  bridge  road,  east  of 
Viniard's.  Cheatham's  division  of  Folk's  corps  also  crossed 
at  Dalton's  ford  very  early  on  the  iQth,  and  formed  line  in  rear 
of  Buckner  and  Hood,  near  the  Chickamauga. 


104  POSITIONS  OF  TROOPS. 

The  interesting  fact  is  now  well  known  that  while  Brannon's 
and  Baird's  divisions  were  making  that  night  march  from 
Crawfish  Springs  to  Kelly's  place,  passing  a  little  west  of 
Viniard's,  Hood's  corps  of  two  divisions  was  lying  in  the 
woods  a  thousand  yards  east  of  Viniard's,  each  wholly  uncon- 
scious of  the  proximity  of  the  other.  Also,  while  Buckner's 
corps  and  Cheatham's  division  were  taking  position  in  the 
river's  bend,  but  little  more  than  a  half-mile  southeast  of  Vin- 
iard's, and  Hood's  corps  was  resting  to  the  north  of  them, 
Wilder's  brigade  was  in  bivouac  several  hundred  yards  east  of 
Viniard's  and  very  near  the  Confederate  lines,  without  being 
molested. 

Thus  we  see  on  the  morning  of  the  ipth  of  September 
Buckner's  corps  was  massed  near  the  Chickamauga,  northeast 
of  Lee  &  Gordon's ;  Cheatham's  division  was  in  reserve  to  his 
rear  and  right ;  Hood's  corps  was  in  position  parallel  with 
the  La  Fayette  road,  extending  a  half-mile  north  of  the  Alex- 
ander's bridge  road ;  Walker's  corps  was  between  Cheatham 
and  Alexander's  bridge  and  Byram's  ford ;  Forrest's  cavalry 
was  along  the  Reed's  bridge  road  near  Jay's  saw  mill,  Hind- 
man's  division  of  Folk's  corps  and  Hill's  corps  being  within 
easy  supporting  distance  opposite  Lee  &  Gordon's  and  Glass' 
Mill. 

Confronting  this  array,  Rosecrans  had  Crittenden's  corps 
near  Lee  &  Gordon's,  and  Brannan's  and  Baird's  divisions  east 
of  Kelly's  field,  with  a  gap  of  two  and  a  half  miles  between, 
entirely  open  to  such  operations  as  the  Confederates  might 
care  to  make.  McCook's  corps  and  the  divisions  of  Negley 
and  Reynolds  were  yet  miles  away,  the  nearest  being  at  or 
about  Crawfish  Springs,  while  Granger's  corps  was  at  McAfee 
church,  three  miles  or  more  north  of  Kelly's. 

Bragg  being  ignorant  of  Thomas'  movements,  and  suppos- 
ing Crittenden's  corps  the  extreme  left  of  the  Union  army, 
planned  an  attack  in  great  force  on  his  left  flank,  hoping  to 
crush  him  before  help  could  arrive.  Rosecrans  supposed 
Bragg's  army  was  still  east  of  the  Chickamauga  and  was  plan- 
ning to  occupy  the  bridges  and  fords  below  Lee  &  Gordon's, 
and  prevent  his  crossing.  Apparently  General  Rosecrans  did 


THE  BATTLE.  105 

not  expect  a  battle  at  the  time  it  came,  for  he  does  not  seem  to 
have  had  any  plan  of  battle. 

The  battle  opened  on  Reed's  bridge  road  near  Jay's  mill, 
three  or  four  miles  farther  north  than  Bragg  expected.  Col. 
Daniel  McCook,  as  he  was  retiring  to  Rossville  Gap  with  his 
two  brigades,  observed  the  approach  of  Thomas'  corps,  and 
hastened  to  report  the  condition  of  affairs  in  front,  giving  his 
opinion  that  a  single  Confederate  brigade  had  crossed  the 
Chickamauga  the  evening  before  and  might  easily  be  captured, 
since  Reed's  bridge  had  been  destroyed.  General  Brannan's 
division  was  at  once  ordered  forward  on  the  Reed's  bridge 
road ;  General  Baird's  division  at  the  same  time  formed  on 
the  right  of  Brannan,  and  moved  eastward  from  the  Kelly 
place.  At  the  time  these  movements  were  being  made,  For- 
rest's cavalry  corps  was  making  a  reconnaissance  along  the 
west  side  of  the  Chickamauga,  in  the  vicinity  of  Reed's  bridge. 
As  Brannan's  division  was  advancing  to  the  east,  and  northeast 
on  Reed's  bridge  road  and  to  the  left  of  it,  about  8  a.  m.,  it  met 
Pegram's  division  of  Forrest's  corps,  dismounted.  Croxton's 
brigade  was  soon  hotly  engaged.  Van  Derveer's  brigade 
quickly  swung  to  the  right,  followed  by  Council's  brigade,  and 
very  soon  the  whole  division  was  in  action. 

General  Forrest,  finding  that  his  forces  were  being  steadily 
driven,  hurried  in  person  to  call  for  infantry  supports.  Wil- 
son's brigade  of  Walker's  corps  was  found  near  Alexander's 
bridge  and  ordered  forward  to  support  Forrest's  left.  Soon 
after  Ector's  brigade  of  the  same  corps  was  brought  up  and 
sent  in  on  Wilson's  left.  While  these  two  infantry  brigades 
were  coming  to  Forrest's  assistance,  Baird's  division  joined  in 
the  action  on  Brannan's  right.  Thus  commencing  on  the 
Union  left,  the  forces  joined  in  battle  from  left  to  right  on  the 
Union  line,  from  right  to  left  on  the  Confederate,  until  the  bat- 
tle raged  from  Reed's  bridge  road  to  the  south  of  Viniard's. 
Walthall's  and  Govan's  brigades  came  in  next  to  the  left  of 
Wilson  and  Ector,  and  were  met  by  Johnson's  division  of  Mc- 
Cook's  corps,  which  had  made  a  hasty  march  from  Crawfish 
Springs  and  moved  into  line  of  battle  to  the  right  of  Baird. 


THE  BATTLE.  107 

Cheatham's  splendid  division  of  five  brigades,  which  had 
moved  north  and  taken  position  in  reserve  in  the  rear  of 
Hood's  corps  about  10  a.  m.,  was  ordered  into  action  about 
noon,  relieving  Liddell's  division  that  was  being  sorely 
pressed.  In  the  meantime  Palmer's  division  of  Crittenden's 
corps  came  rapidly  down  the  La  Fayette  road,  passing  within 
a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  still  idle  Hood's  corps,  and  hur- 
ried forward  into  action  on  the  right  of  Johnson.  About  the 
same  time  Reynolds'  division  of  Tomas'  corps  reached  the 
La  Fayette  road  at  Poe's  and  went  into  action,  Turchin's 
brigade  to  Palmer's  left  and  Edward  King's  to  his  right. 
About  this  time,  also,  Stewart's  division  of  Buckner's  corps 
came  in  to  the  left  of  Cheatham's  division,  to  be  met  by  Van 
Cleve's  division  of  Crittenden's  corps,  which  had  followed 
Palmer  from  Lee  &  Gordon's.  Bushrod  Johnson's  and  Law's 
divisions  of  Hood's  corps  next  entered  the  fight  on  Stewart's 
left.  Davis'  division  of  McCook's  corps  reached  Widow 
Glenn's  at  noon  and  was  sent  into  action  on  Van  Cleve's  right 
near  Viniard's.  Next  came  General  Wood's  division  from 
Lee  &  Gordon's  after  3  p.  m. ;  then  General  Negley's  division 
came  from  Glass'  Mill  and  occupied  a  gap  in  the  center  at 
4:30;  lastly  the  gallant  Phil  Sheridan  with  his  division  came 
into  action  on  the  right  at  5  p.  m.  Thus  the  battle  swept 
from  the  Union  left  to  right  till  nearly  the  entire  strength  of 
the  two  armies  was  engaged. 

At  the  beginning  Brannan's  division  drove  Forrest's  cav- 
alry, dismounted,  nearly  a  mile,  but  on  arrival  of  the  infantry 
brigades  of  Wilson  and  Ector,  the  Union  advance  was  checked 
and  the  contest  became  furious.  Croxton's  brigade  of  Bran- 
nan's  division  was  forced  to  fall  back,  when  Baird's  division 
advanced  upon  the  Confederates  and  drove  them  some  dis- 
tance, capturing  200  prisoners.  Govan's  brigade  struck 
Scribner's  near  Winfrey's,  capturing  four  guns  of  its  battery 
and  forcing  it  to  the  rear ;  at  the  same  time  Walthall's  brigade 
broke  the  fines  of  King's  regular  brigade  and  took  his  bat- 
tery, which  was  soon  after  retaken  in  a  gallant  charge  by  the 
Qth  Ohio  of  Brannan's  division.  Croxton's  brigade  again  com- 
ing to  the  front,  struck  Govan  in  the  flank,  both  Govan  and 


108  THE  BATTLE. 

Walthall  retiring  in  haste.  Thus  the  battle  raged  on  the  left, 
a  continuous  roll  of  musketry  and  roar  of  artillery  from  8  or 
9  a.  m.  till  noon,  with  varying  results,  but  with  terrific  losses 
on  both  sides. 

Cheatham's  division  came  into  action  about  noon,  three 
brigades  in  front  and  two  in  reserve,  his  right  resting  on  the 
Alexander's  bridge  -  road  near  Winfrey's,  his  left  extending 
southwest  to  within  a  third  of  a  mile  of  the  La  Fayette  road. 
Johnson's  and  Palmer's  divisions  met  this  array  in  gallant 
style,  and  the  terrific  fighting  extended  all  along  the  line,  from 
Winfrey's  through  the  Brock  field  along  the  low  ridge  to  the 
right.  The  splendid  veterans  of  Cruft's,  Grose's,  and  Hazen's 
brigades  were  a  full  match  for  Cheatham's  southerners.  By 
three  o'clock  Johnson  had  fought  his  way  to  the  Winfrey 
house,  where  he  remained  without  much  opposition  till  night. 
The  Union  forces  farther  to  the  right  were  not  so  fortunate. 
Stewart's  division  pressed  Van  Cleve  across  the  La  Fayette 
road  at  Brotherton's,  and  Palmer  was  compelled  to  retire  to 
the  La  Fayette  road,  near  Poe's.  The  battle  raged  furiously 
along  the  lines  east  of  Viniard's,  and  to  the  north  along  the 
La  Fayette  road,  from  one  or  two  o'clock  till  night.  After  a 
desperate  struggle,  Davis'  division  was  forced  across  the  La 
Fayette  road  at  Viniard's,  the  gallant  Colonel  Heg  being 
killed,  while  rallying  his  brigade  in  an  effort  to  check  the 
Confederate  advance.  The  arrival  of  Wood's  division  at  4 
p.  m.  turned  the  tide,  and  the  Confederates  were  again  driven 
to  the  east  side  of  the  road.  Cheatham,  Stewart,  Preston, 
Bushrod  Johnson  and  Hood  made  a  desperate  effort  to  take 
and  hold  the  coveted  La  Fayette  road,  and  Johnson,  Palmer, 
Reynolds,  Negley,  Davis,  Van  Cleve,  Wood  and  Sheridan 
most  splendidly  contested  the  prize. 

Forrest  and  Liddell  had  enough  by  the  middle  of  the  day 
and  quiet  reigned  on  the  Union  left  most  of  the  afternoon. 
Brannan  and  Baird  were  withdrawn  to  the  west  of  the  La 
Fayette  road,  while  Johnson's  division  still  remained  near 
Winfrey's,  supported  by  Baird's  till  late  in  the  afternoon. 
Cheatham's  division  was  resting  quietly  in  their  front  to  the 
southeast.  The  battle  seemed  over  for  the  day,  when  suddenly 


THE  BATTLE.  109 

in  the  dusk  of  the  evening  a  furious  assault  was  made  on  John- 
son's and  Baird's  lines  by  Cleburne's  division,  which  had 
hastily  crossed  the  Chickamauga,  wading  through  water  waist 
deep.  Cheatham's  division  joined  in  this  "night  battle"  and 
an  hour's  struggle  ensued,  amid  great  confusion,  the  contest- 
ants being  guided  each  by  the  flash  from  the  other's  guns,, 
without  valuable  results  to  either,  but  with  the  loss  of  two- 
most  valuable  general  officers,  Gen.  Preston  Smith  of  the 
Confederates,  and  Colonel  Baldwin  of  the  Union  forces,  both 
brigade  commanders.  Generals  Johnson  and  Baird  finally 
withdrew  their  divisions  to  the  Kelly  field,  leaving  Cleburne's 
force  the  cold  comfort  of  bivouacing  on  the  lost  ground  in 
their  wet  clothes. 

The  brigades  of  Colonels  McCook  and  Mitchell  had  joined 
Whitaker's  early  in  the  day,  at  McAfee  church.  The  H5th 
spent  most  of  the  day  resting  on  the  slope  opposite  the  church,, 
anxiously  listening  to  the  roar  of  the  battle,  a  little  more  than 
three  miles  away.  The  roll  after  roll  of  musketry,  scarcely  to 
be  distinguished  from  the  roar  of  distant  artillery,  made  it 
evident  that  a  terrific  battle  was  in  progress. 

The  84th  Indiana  supported  by  the  4Oth  Ohio  and  a  section 
of  the  1 8th  Ohio  Battery,  was  advanced  beyond  the  Little 
Chickamauga  to  keep  watch  on  the  movements  of  the  enemy 
in  that  direction.  They  soon  encountered  the  enemy's  pick- 
ets, who  were  driven  into  camp  after  a  brisk  skirmish.  De- 
sultory firing  was  kept  up  till  one  or  two  o'clock,  when  the 
Confederates,  Scott's  cavalry  brigade,  made  a  vigorous  attack 
on  the  84th  Indiana  and  4Oth  Ohio,  compelling  them  to  retire 
across  the  creek. 

In  the  meantime  the  U5th  having  been  ordered  to  their 
support,  was  moving  at  double  quick  down  the  road  leading 
from  McAfee  church  towards  Ringgold.  The  dust  in  the  road, 
almost  shoe-top  deep,  soon  arose  in  such  clouds  as  to  hide  the 
moving  column.  Just  as  the  84th  and  4Oth  were  crossing  the 
creek,  hotly  followed  by  the  Confederates,  not  far  away,  the 
1 1 5th  rushed  forward  into  line  to  the  left  of  the  road,  within 
200  yards  of  the  creek.  The  land  sloped  gently  towards  the 
creek,  and  was  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  low  brush 


110  THE  BATTLE. 

scarcely  waist  high,  among  scattering  forest  trees.  The  H5th 
promptly  obeyed  the  command  to  lie  down,  and  remained 
concealed  till  the  84th  and  4Oth  had  passed  through  their 
ranks.  But  no  sooner  was  the  front  clear  till  they  were  up 
and  sending  a  shower  of  bullets  into  the  ranks  of  the  aston- 
ished rebels.  A  few  volleys  sufficed  to  send  them  reeling  back 
in  the  direction  they  had  come.  Knowing  their  superior 
strength,  Colonel  Moore  hastily  faced  about  and  began  a 
movement  to  the  rear.  This  was  not  much  more  than  begun, 
however,  when  the  Confederates  returned  to  the  attack,  only 
to  be  met  by  the  withering  volleys  of  the  H5th,  which  again 
sent  them  to  the  rear.  Again  was  the  retreat  resumed,  and 
again  the  Confederates  returned  to  the  attack,  but  were  once 
more  repulsed  by  the  ii5th,  now  well  supported  by  the  other 
regiments  of  the  brigade ;  the  further  progress  of  the  enemy 
was  stopped,  and  our  three  brigades  bivouaced  again  near 
the  church. 

The  1 1 5th  lost  four  wounded  and  one  captured,  by  remain- 
ing behind  to  care  for  his  wounded  brother.  The  loss  of  the 
enemy  must  have  been  considerable,  as  they  were  exposed  to 
a  terrific  fire.  This  was  the  first  real  battle  for  the  H5th,  yet  it 
must  be  said  the  coolness  with  which  the  men  lay  waiting  for 
the  84th  and  4Oth  to  pass  through  their  ranks,  their  steady 
fire  and  solid  line  presented  to  the  enemy  until  the  close  of  the 
fight  proved  them  already  soldiers  worthy  to  be  called  veter- 
ans. 

The  night  was  spent  at  the  edge  of  the  woods,  too  near  the 
enemy  to  permit  the  comfort  of  fires,  though  the  air  was  quite 
cold  to  our  boys  in  their  light-weight  clothes  and  scant  supply 
of  blankets.  We  slept  under  arms,  such  sleep  as  was  permit- 
ted, ready  at  any  moment  for  action,  but  without  disturbance. 
The  Confederates  in  our  front  had  probably  been  ordered  to 
support  their  friends  in  front  of  General  Rosecrans.  H  was 
a  busy  night  to  both  armies.  Longstreet  had  arrived  and 
Bragg  hastily  called  a  council  of  his  generals.  He  "ventured" 
as  General  Hill  says,  "upon  that  hazardous  experiment,  a 
change  of  organization  in  face  of  the  enemy."  He  divided  his 
army  into  two  wings,  giving  to  the  right  Hill's  and  Walker's 


PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  NEXT  DAY.  Ill 

corps  and  Cheatham's  large  division  of  infantry  and  Forrest's 
cavalry  corps,  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant-General 
Polk,  and  leaving  to  the  left  wing  Buckner's  and  Hood's  corps 
and  Hindman's  division  of  infantry,  and  Wheeler's  cavalry 
corps,  under  the  command  of  Lieut. -Gen.  James  Longstreet. 
Bragg's  plan  of  battle  was  not  greatly  changed.'  He  directed 
General  Polk  to  begin  the  second  day's  battle  by  a  daybreak 
attack  on  the  Union  left,  the  battle  to  go  forward  by  successive 
attacks  from  the  Confederate  right  to  left.  It  was  an  all 
night's  task  to  get  into  position. 

While  these  preparations  were  going  on  among  the  Confed- 
erates, the  Union  generals  were  equally  active.  General  Rose- 
crans  held  a  conference  with  his  generals  at  the  Widow 
Glenn's.  Plans  were  adopted  for  further  concentration  of  his 
forces.  Major-General  Thomas'  corps  together  with  the  divi- 
sions that  had  joined  him  were  to  remain  in  front  of  the  Kelly 
farm.  McCook's  corps  was  to  take  position  along  the  La 
Fayette  road  to  the  right  of  Thomas,  while  two  divisions  of 
Crittenden's  corps  were  to  be  held  in  reserve.  General  Rose- 
crans  does  not  seem  to  have  made  any  "plan  of  battle."  As  on 
the  first  day,  his  only  plan  seemed  to  be  to  hold  the  enemy  in 
check,  and  prevent  him  from  passing  over  or  by  our  forces 
into  Chattanooga. 

As  with  the  Confederates,  much  of  the  night  was  consumed 
in  these  preparations,  though  probably  most  of  the  men  got 
some  sleep.  It  is  said  "Pap"  Thomas,  resting  his  head  on  his 
hand  and  with  his  trappings  about  him,  took  a  nap  at  the  base 
of  a  big  oak  tree.  All  were  weary  enough  to  sleep,  even 
though  under  great  difficulties. 


CHAPTER  X. 


SUNDAY,  SEPTEMBER  2oTH. 

The  early  morning  found  the  Union  army  taking  position 
along  the  La  Fayette  road,  which  continued  to  be  the  prize 
of  the  battle.  The  original  organization  by  corps  was  only 
partially  maintained.  Maj.-Gen.  Geo.  H.  Thomas  had  com- 
mand of  the  left  wing,  composed  of  Baird's,  Johnson's,  Palm- 
er's and  Reynolds'  divisions,  extending  in  a  circular  line 
around  the  north,  east  and  south  sides  of  the  Kelly  farm,  in  the 
older  named,  counting  from  left  to  right.  Of  these,  Baird's  and 
Reynolds'  divisions  were  of  his  own  corps,  Johnson's  was  of 
McCook's  2Oth  corps,  while  Palmer's  was  of  Crittenden's 
corps.  Baird's  left  extended  nearly  to  the  La  Fayette  road, 
a  fourth  of  a  mile  north  of  the  Kelly  farm,  while  Reynolds' 
right,  facing  southeast,  rested  on  that  road. 

Brannan's  division  of  Thomas'  corps  connected  with  Rey- 
nolds' on  the  right,  his  left  resting  on  the  road  and  his  right 
parallel  with  the  road  but  200  yards  to  the  west  of  it.  Neg- 
ley's  division  came  next,  extending  south  across  the  Dyer  road 
and  west  of  Brotherton's.  Sheridan's  division,  also  facing  east, 
was  in  front  of  Widow  Glenn's,  Wilder's  mounted  brigade 
being  farther  to  the  right,  while  Van  Cleve's,  Wood's  and 
Davis'  divisions  were  placed  in  reserve  near  the  Dry  Valley 
road,  almost  directly  west  of  Dyer's  place,  or  in  the  rear  of 
the  center  of  our  army.  All  this  right  wing  was  under  the 
direct  command  of  the  department  commander,  Gen.  W.  S. 
Rosecrans,  who  had  his  headquarters  at  Widow  Glenn's. 

The  Confederate  lines  were  formed  from  their  right  to  left 
in  the  following  order :  Forrest's  cavalry  was  far  to  the  right 
and  east  of  Cloud's  Spring.  Then  came  Breckinridge's  divi- 
sion in  front  of  the  Union  left  (Baird's  division),  but  lapping 


CONFEDERATE  LINES.  113 

some  distance  over.  Cleburne's  division  was  next  to  the  left 
in  front  of  the  Kelly  place.  Then  came  Stewart's  division 
facing  the  La  Fayette  road,  opposite  Poe's.  Bushrod  John- 
son's division  came  next  to  the  left  a  third  of  a  mile  east  of 
Brotherton's,  with  Hindman's  and  Preston's  divisions  farther 
in  the  same  line.  Walker's  corps  was  in  reserve  in  the  rear  of 
Breckinridge,  while  Cheatham's  division  occupied  a  similar 
position  in  rear  of  Cleburne.  Cleburne's  division  was  the  left 
of  Folk's  wing,  while  Stewart's  was  the  right  of  Longstreet's. 

The  Confederate  position  was  well  hidden  by  the  almost 
continuous  forests  that  extend  along  the  east  side  of  the  La 
Fayette  road.  Bragg  moved  his  headquarters  to  the  west  side 
of  the  Chickamauga,  not  far  from  the  place  where  the  battle 
began  on  Saturday  morning.  During  the  night  the  Confeder- 
ates were  reenforced  by  the  arrival  of  the  distinguished  leader, 
Lieutenant-General  Longstreet,  with  McLaw's  division  of  his 
corps  and  Gist's  brigade  of  Walker's  corps.  Generals  Polk 
and  Hill  failed  to  obey  Bragg*' s  order  to  attack  at  daylight. 
Hill  said  he  did  not  hear  of  the  order  until  eight  o'clock  the 
next  morning,  that  the  lines  were  not  formed  and  that  his 
troops  were  delayed  in  getting  rations.  Folk's  version  is  that 
he  issued  orders  to  Hill  at  n  -.30  p.  m.  to  attack  the  Union  left 
at  daylight,  but  that  his  aids  could  not  find  Hill,  though 
searching  all  night.  Each  blamed  the  other. 

The  Chickamauga  valley  was  wrapped  in  a  dense  fog  that 
morning  that  did  not  lift  until  eight  or  nine  o'clock — other- 
wise the  sky  was  clear.  Hill  says  Bragg  had  made  no  in- 
spection of  the  lines,  nor  reconnaissance  of  the  Union  posi- 
tion, while  General  Rosecrans  had  personally  inspected  his 
entire  line.  He  found  the  divisions  of  Wood  and  Van  Cleve 
of  Crittenden's  corps,  and  Davis'  division  of  McCook's  corps 
near  the  Dry  Valley  road,  and  directed  them  to  move  forward 
and  to  the  left.  Bragg's  front  overlapped  the  Union  lines 
both  on  right  and  left.  Baird's,  Johnson's,  Palmer's  and  Rey- 
nolds' divisions  had  made  good  use  of  the  night  in  erecting 
rough  barricades  of  logs,  rails,  stumps  and  stones  along  their 
front,  which  made  a  valuable  protection  against  the  assaults  of 


OPENING    OF   THE    BATTLE.  115 

the  enemy.  There  were  no  rifle  pits,  nor  any  defensive  works 
on  any  other  part  of  the  line. 

The  contest  finally  opened  at  about  8 130  to  9  a.  m.  by  the 
advance  of  Breckinridge's  division  from  the  northeast  against 
Baird's  division,  supported  by  Gen.  John  Beatty's  brigade  of 
Xegley's  division,  which  had  just  taken  position  on  Baird's 
left,  extending  to  the  La  Fayette  road  south  of  McDonald's. 
The  attack  was  furious  and  the  battle  soon  involved  the  whole 
of  Baird's  division.  The  Confederate  right  quickly  passed  the 
La  Fayette  road,  and  facing  south,  made  a  desperate  effort  to 
occupy  the  woods  to  the  west  of  Kelly's  field  in  Thomas' 
rear.  Stanley's  brigade  of  Negley's  division  was  hurried  to 
the  left,  coming  just  in  time  to  check  the  Confederate  advance. 
In  the  meantime  General  Cleburne's  division,  in  pursuance 
of  Bragg's  plan,  had  joined  in  the  battle  by  attacking  Johnson's 
front.  Stewart  followed  Cleburne  in  the  attack,  and  assault 
after  assault  was  being  made  on  the  entire  four  divisions  in 
front  of  and  around  the  Kelly  farm.  The  Union  left  was  in 
a  critical  condition,  and  General  Thomas  seeing  the  peril,  has- 
tily called  for  reenforcements. 

General  Brannan's  division  was  ordered  to  support  Thomas, 
but  at  that  moment  the  attack  of  Stewart  was  just  opening  on 
Brannan's  front,  and  seeing  the  need  in  his  own  position,  he 
notified  Rosecrans  and  at  the  same  time  partially  complied 
with  Thomas'  request  by  sending  Van  Derveer's  brigade  in 
great  haste  down  the  La  Fayette  road  towards  the  Union  left. 
It  came  in  the  nick  of  time,  and  joining  with  Beatty's,  Stan- 
ley's and  Barnes'  brigades,  drove  the  Confederates  back  east 
of  the  road  north  of  the  Kelly  farm.  The  four  Union  di- 
visions under  General  Thomas  most  gallantly  held  their  posi- 
tions. General  Helm,  a  brigade  commander  in  Breckinridge's 
division,  was  killed  early  in  the  day.  General  Adams,  another 
brigade  commander  of  the  same  division,  was  severely 
wounded  and  captured.  General  Deshler,  commanding  a  bri- 
gade of  Cleburne's  division  was  killed,  and  many  field  officers 
were  killed  and  wounded,  showing  how  severely  the  Confeder- 
ates were  punished. 


116  GAP  IN  THE  LINE. 

In  the  meantime  Gen.  Thos.  J.  Wood's  division  of  Critten- 
dcn's  corps  had  moved  forward  to  the  position  previously  oc- 
cupied by  Negley's  division  to  the  west  of  the  La  Fayette 
road,  near  Brotherton's,  joining  Brannan's  division  on  the 
right.  About  the  same  time  Gen.  Jeff.  C.  Davis  moved  for- 
ward to  the  right  of  Wood's  division,  General  Sheridan's  di- 
vision being  still  farther  to  the  right  and  rear.  General  Van 
Cleve's  division  also  moved  forward  and  to  the  left  in  the  rear 
of  General  Wood's  division.  General  Thomas  was  calling 
for  help  and  General  Rosecrans  was  as  rapidly  as  possible  con- 
centrating his  force  in  that  direction,  determined  to  support 
the  imperilled  left  at  all  hazards.  It  will  be  remembered  Gen- 
eral Brannan  had  been  ordered  to  Thomas'  relief,  but  had  been 
detained  in  line  by  the  attack  of  Stewart's  Confederates.  Gen- 
eral Rosecrans,  supposing  Brannan  had  gone,  ordered  General 
Wood  to  "close  up  on  Reynolds  as  fast  as  possible  and  sup- 
port him,"  intending  Wood  to  take  the  place  Brannan  had  oc- 
cupied. But  General  Brannan's  division  was  still  in  line  to 
the  right  of  Reynolds.  Without  waiting  to  report  the  facts  to 
Rosecrans,  and  for  further  orders,  but  in  an  attempt  at  literal 
obedience,  General  Wood  withdrew  his  division  from  the  line 
and  moved  by  the  left  flank  in  rear  of  Brannan,  towards  the 
rear  of  Reynolds'  position. 

Without  attempting  to  locate  the  fault,  it  may  truly  be  said 
this  was  the  fatal  mistake  of  the  battle.  A  gap  of  nearly  a 
half  mile  in  width  was  opened  in  the  Union  line.  At  about  n 
a.  m.  General  Wood's  division  was  rapidly  moving  by  the  left 
flank  in  rear  of  Brannan's  division.  General  Van  Cleve's  di- 
vision was  a  few  paces  farther  to  the  rear,  seeking  a  place  to 
be  of  service.  Laiboldt's  and  Lytle's  brigades  were  in  rapid 
motion  by  the  flank  from  the  extreme  right  to  reenforce 
Thomas  on  the  left.  Gen.  Jeff.  C.  Davis'  division,  which  had 
taken  position  on  the  right  of  Wood's  division,  was  hurrying 
to  fill  the  vacant  space. 

Gen.  James  Longstreet  commanding  the  Confederate  left 
wing  was  impatiently  waiting  orders  to  attack.  Stewart's  di- 
vision on  his  right  had  already  been  engaged.  Gen.  Bushrod 
Johnson's  provisional  division  was  next  to  the  left  in  the  woods 


ROUT  OF  THE  RIGHT  WING.  117 

opposite  Brother-ton's,  with  Hindman's  next  and  Preston's  di- 
vision still  farther  to  their  left.  At  the  moment  the  unfortunate 
gap  was  opened,  and  while  the  other  Union  divisions  on  that 
part  of  the  line  were  in  motion,  as  above  recited,  General 
Longstreet,  without  the  slightest  knowledge  of  the  Union 
weakness,  was  ordering  an  attack  on  that  part  of  our  line.  Be- 
fore Colonel  Buell's  brigade  of  Wood's  division  had  moved 
its  length  towards  the  left,  Bushrod  Johnson's  division  was 
pouring  through  the  fatal  gap,  and  a  furious  assault  was  made 
on  Buell's  brigade  while  thus  engaged  in  its  flank  movement. 
About  the  same  time,  Hindman's  division  assaulted  Davis'  and 
Sheridan's  divisions  with  terrible  effect.  With  a  wide  open 
gateway  and  with  the  Union  troops  to  the  right  and  the  left 
of  it,  moving  by  the  flank,  it  was  an  easy  thing  for  the  Confed- 
erates to  sweep  the  field  and  drive  our  troops  to  the  right  and 
left  before  them.  As  vigorous  a  resistance  as  possible  was 
made,  but  nothing  could  check  the  wild  rush  of  the  Confeder- 
ates. Our  lines  were  soon  shattered,  brigades  and  regiments 
were  intermingled,  so  that  little  appearance  even  of  any  or- 
ganization was  maintained.  The  gallant  General  .Lytle  at- 
tempted a  stand  on  the  well  known  hill  now  bearing  his  name, 
but  it  was  only  for  a  moment.  The  brave  general  was  slain 
and  his  brigade  was  again  put  in  rapid  motion  to  the  rear. 
Portions  of  Wood's  and  Brannan's  divisions  swung  back  at 
right  angles  with  the  former  position,  and  were  soon  carried 
to  the  northeastern  portion  of  Snodgrass  Hill.  Other  portions 
were  carried  with  part  of  Van  Cleve's,  Davis'  and  Sheridan's 
divisions  over  the  hills  to  the  westward  and  to  Rossville.  Gen- 
eral Negley  became  separated  from  his  two  brigades  and  took 
charge  of  the  artillery  that  had  been  massed  on  a  hill  in  the 
north  part  of  the  Dyer  farm.  Their  position  soon  becoming 
untenable,  many  horses  being  killed,  and  without  supports  of 
any  kind,  as  many  of  the  guns  as  could  possibly  be  moved,  were 
taken,  under  General  Negley's  direction,  over  Snodgrass  Hill, 
and  thence  as  rapidly  as  possible  through  McFarland's  Gap  to 
Rossville. 

The  right  wing  of  our  army  thus  broken  and  routed  has 
often  been  referred  to  as  "McCook's  and  Crittenden's  corps". 


PREPARATION  FOR  THE  AFTERNOON.  110 

That,  however,  is  only  partly  true.  Generals  McCook  and 
Crittenden  as  well  as  General  Rosecrans,  were  caught  in  the 
stampede  and  carried  back  to  Rossville.  General  Sheridan's 
division  of  three  brigades  and  General  Davis'  division  of  two 
brigades,  of  McCook's  corps,  followed  them.  Gen.  Samuel 
Beatty's  and  Colonel  Dick's  brigades  of  Van  Cleve's  division, 
and  Colonel  Buell's  brigade  of  Wood's  division  of  Crittenden's 
corps,  excepting  only  fragments  of  several  regiments,  were 
also  among  the  routed.  On  the  other  hand,  Johnson's  division 
of  McCook's  corps,  and  Palmer's  division  of  Crittenden's 
corps,  were  doing  gallant  service  all  day  on  Thomas'  line  in 
front  of  Kelly's  place.  Barnes'  brigade  of  Van  Cleve's  di- 
vision assisted  in  the  repulse  of  Breckinridge  on  Baird's  left 
and  remained  on  that  part  of  the  line  till  evening.  A  large 
part  of  Marker's  brigade  and  a  detachment  of  the  58th  Indiana 
of  Buell's  brigade  of  Wood's  division  joined  in  the  defense  of 
Snodgrass  Ridge  and  remained  there  till  evening.  Nor  were 
McCook's  and  Crittenden's  corps  the  only  ones  in  the  dis- 
aster. Sirwell's  brigade  of  Negley's  division  of  Thomas'  corps, 
excepting  the  2ist  Ohio,  which  was  left  with  General  Brannan, 
followed  their  division  commander  to  Rossville.  Connell's 
brigade  of  Brannan's  division  of  the  same  corps,  excepting 
some  fragments  of  the  82nd  Indiana  and  i/th  Ohio,  were  also 
carried  away  in  the  disaster. 

By  twelve  o'clock  or  a  little  later  Bushrod  Johnson's  and 
Hindman's  divisions  had  passed  the  Dry  Valley  road  south 
of  the  Vittetoe  house  in  pursuit  of  Davis'  and  Sheridan's  di- 
visions, over  the  hills  to  the  west.  Very  soon,  however,  they 
despaired  of  success  and  returned  to  the  hills  east  of  Vittetoe's, 
where  they  reformed  their  lines  and  prepared  for  the  after- 
noon's work.  The  Confederates  were  in  possession  of  all  the 
fields  between  Snodgrass  Ridge  and  Widow  Glenn's.  In  the 
eagerness  of  their  pursuit,  the  Confederates  had  failed  to  no- 
tice Wilder's  brigade  near  Widow  Glenn's,  which  remained 
unmolested  in  that  vicinity  until  near  evening.  About  noon 
General  Brannan,  with  fragments  of  three  regiments  of  Crox- 
ton's  brigade  and  a  portion  of  the  82nd  Indiana  and  I7th  Ohio 
of  Connell's  brigade  of  his  division  made  a  stand  on  the  east- 


120  THOMAS'  POSITION. 

ern  eminence  of  Snodgrass  Ridge.  His  command  was  soon  in- 
creased by  detachments  and  stragglers  from  the  several  regi- 
ments of  Beatty's  and  Dick's  brigades  of  Van  Cleve's  division, 
and  of  Buell's  brigade  of  Wood's  division.  Conspicuous 
among  these  were  the  squads  of  the  pth  Kentucky,  under  Col- 
onel Cram,  and  the  I7th  Kentucky,  under  Colonel  Stout,  of 
Beatty's  brigade,  and  small  portions  of  the  44th  Indiana  and 
I3th  Ohio  of  Dick's  brigade.  The  most  important  of  these 
additions,  and  the  only  complete  regiment  of  them  all  was  the 
2  ist  Ohio  of  Sirwell's  brigade  of  Negley's  division,  left  by  that 
general  at  Brannan's  request.  General  Brannan  was  further 
strengthened  by  Colonel  Stanley's  brigade  of  Negley's  division, 
which,  after  gallantly  assisting  in  the  repulse  of  General 
Breckinridge's  division  northwest  of  the  Kelly  place,  had  re- 
tired to  Snodgrass  Ridge,  and  taken  position  to  Brannan's 
left,  towards  the  Snodgrass  house.  This  entire  force,  known 
that  Sunday  afternoon  as  "Brannan's  division,"  occupied  only 
the  northeastern  eminence  of  Snodgrass  Ridge,  and  num- 
bered scarcely  1,500  men.  General  Wood's  division,  then  re- 
duced to  Harker's  brigade,  and  that  greatly  thinned  by  loss 
of  killed,  wounded  and  stragglers,  made  several  gallant  efforts 
to  check  the  onward  rush  of  the  enemy.  But  the  number  of 
the  enemy  was  too  great,  and  though  severely  punished  at 
times,  their  progress  was  not  seriously  interfered  with  till 
Snodgrass  Ridge  was  reached.  General  Wood  hastily  put  his 
remaining  brigade  in  position  to  the  left  of  Stanley's  brigade, 
extending  down  the  ridge  from  Snodgrass  house,  where  it  did 
splendid  service. 

Major-General  Thomas'  four  divisions,  commanded  by 
Baird,  Johnson,  Palmer  and  Reynolds,  remained  in  position 
at  their  breastworks  encircling  the  Kelly  farm.  Every  as- 
sault of  the  Confederates  had  been  repulsed  in  splendid  style. 
After  the  break  to  his  right,  General  Reynolds  had  been  com- 
pelled to  retire  his  right  somewhat  so  as  to  face  to  the  south, 
and  extending  a  short  distance  across  the  La  Fayette  road. 
The  space  from  Reynolds'  right  to  Wood's  left  at  the  foot  of 
Snodgrass  Ridge,  a  distance  of  more  than  half  a  mile,  was 
wholly  unoccupied  by  Union  troops  at  this  "noon  hour",  as 


MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  nsTH.  121 

well  as  nearly  all  the  afternoon.  Thus  our  Union  line  had  be- 
come, on  the  left,  a  semicircle,  with  its  center  to  the  east  of 
Kelly  place,  and  its  right  resting  on  the  La  Fayette  road  south 
of  the  farm.  Then  a  gap  of  a  half  a  mile  to  the  west,  and  then 
Wood's  and  Brannan's  divisions,  as  above  recited.  Beyond 
Brannan's  forces,  which  occupied  that  part  of  the  hill  now 
marked  by  the  observation  tower,  and  to  the  east  of  it  there 
was  nothing  to  oppose  the  progress  of  the  enemy.  All  the 
Union  troops  in  that  quarter  had  passed  on  towards  Ross- 
ville. 

Breckinridge's,  Walker's,  Cleburne's  and  Stewart's  divis- 
ions still  confronted  the  Union  left.  Hood's  corps  had  joined 
in  the  pursuit  of  the  broken  Union  right,  and  was  now  bat- 
tering at  our  devoted  band  on  Snodgrass  Ridge.  Longstreet 
was  preparing  to  turn  the  Union  right  by  crossing  Snodgrass 
Ridge  to  the  right  of  Brannan,  and  attacking  him  in  the  rear. 
That  done,  Thomas'  left  wing  would  have  been  at  his  mercy. 
Ammunition  was  being  distributed  to  Hindman's  and  Bush- 
rod  Johnson's  divisions,  near  the  southerrr  base  of  the  ridge, 
and  very  soon  Longstreet  would  be  putting  his  plan  into  ex- 
ecution. The  ridge  to  the  right  of  Brannan  must  quickly  be 
occupied  by  Union  troops  or  the  day  was  lost. 

But  what  of  the  H5th  at  this  time?  It  had  spent  the  night, 
as  before  narrated,  with  its  brigade  under  Gen.  W.  C.  Whit- 
aker,  at  the  edge  of  the  woods  a  little  east  of  McAfee  church. 
Soon  after  day  coffee  and  hardtack  were  served.  All  were  im- 
pressed that  a  day  of  hard  fighting  was  before  them.  Some 
were  eager  for  the  fray,  others  were  more  serious.  Among 
the  latter  was  our  brave  Lieut. -Col.  William  Kinman.  He 
had  distinguished  himself  in  the  Black  Hawk  and  Mexican 
Wrars  and  none  doubted  his  courage.  But  that  morning  he 
looked  toward  the  battle  in  a  way  different  from  all  his  past 
experience.  The  writer  remarked  to  him  that  he  was  more 
serious  than  usual.  His  reply  was,  "Yes,  I  am.  We  shall  have 
a  desperate  battle  today,  many  of  us  will  be  slain,  and  I  ex- 
pect to  be  among  the  number."  Seeing  how  earnest  he  was, 
the  writer  tried  to  cheer  him  up  by  saying,  "Oh  no,  Colonel, 
you  will  go  through  it  all  right,  and  live  to  fight  many  other 


MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  usTti.  123 


battles."  "No,"  said  he,  "I  feel  a  definite  impression  that  this 
is  my  last  day.  I  had  it  upon  my  mind  when  waking,  and  it 
has  constantly  been  with  me  since.  I  never  felt  so  before.  1 
have  been  under  fire  a  number  of  times,  without  ever  having 
the  slightest  feeling  that  I  would  be  killed.  Now  I  feel  certain 
that  I  shall  not  live  through  the  day."  And  all  that  could  be 
said  by  the  writer  and  some  others  who  joined  the  party 
seemed  of  no  avail.  What  a  brave  spirit  must  have  possessed 
him,  with  such  impressions  on  his  mind,  to  ride  up  Snodgrass 
Hill,  leading  the  charge,  only  a  few  hours  later. 

The  scant  breakfast  disposed  of,  preparations  for  the  con- 
flict at  once  followed.  Inspections  of  arms  and  ammunition 
were  carefully  made,  and  each  man  supplied  with  sixty  rounds 
of  cartridges.  The  ii5th  was  armed  with  the  old  fashioned 
Remington  .69  calibre  musket  —  a  heavy  and  undesirable,  yet 
very  destructive  weapon.  All  the  other  regiments  were  sup- 
plied with  the  more  modern  guns,  Enfield  and  Springfield 
rifles.  All  were  in  good  condition  and  supplied  with  good 
bayonets.  The  96th  and  H5th  Illinois,  and  several  other  regi- 
ments of  the  division,  had  never  been  in  a  real  battle,  but  had 
been  under  discipline  more  than  a  year,  and  many  of  the  men 
were  anxious  for  a  fight.  Our  brigade  of  the  4Oth  Ohio,  84th 
Indiana,  96th  and  U5th  Illinois  had  been  strengthened  for  the 
day  by  the  22d  Michigan  and  89th  Ohio,  which  were  unable 
to  join  their  respective  brigades.  The  six  regiments  made 
up  as  fine  a  brigade  as  any  of  our  armies  could  boast  of.  The 
division  had  been  under  arms  all  night,  and  all  the  time,  in  a 
measure,  ready  for  battle  ;  but  as  the  morning  wore  on  the 
lines  were  kept  more  perfectly  formed.  Occasionally  positions 
changed.  All  were  listening  for  the  noise  of  battle.  When  it 
began  and  its  roar  of  artillery  increased,  and  the  rolls  of  mus- 
ketry became  louder  and  more  continuous,  the  interest  .and  im- 
patience of  officers  and  men  increased.  Apparently  there  was 
no  enemy  in  our  immediate  front.  The  battle  was  three  miles 
or  more  to  the  south.  The  sounds  of  battle  were  moving  west- 
ward. This  was  perhaps  about  the  time  Breckinridge  crossed 
the  La  Fayette  road.  Apparently  the  Union  lines  were  get- 
ting the  worst  of  it.  Our  orders  were  to  protect  the  extreme 


124  MOVEMENTS  OF  THE 

left,  but  we  were  too  far  away  to  be  of  direct  service.  That 
Thomas  needed  us  was  apparent  to  all.  Finally  Generals 
Granger  and  Steedman  determined  that  we  must  not  longer 
remain  idle.  About  10:30  or  n  o'clock  the  column  was  put 
in  motion,  Whitakers  brigade  in  the  lead,  closely  followed 
by  Colonel  Mitchell's  brigade.  Col.  Daniel  McCook's  brigade 
was  left  near  McAfee  church  to  take  care  of  any  approach  of 
the  enemy  to  that  vicinity.  As  we  passed  the  big  spring  near 
the  church,  many  canteens  were  filled  with  water,  which  was 
of  priceless  value  later  in  the  day.  The  column  moved  at 
"quick  time"  through  the  fields  and  woods  towards  the  field 
of  battle.  Our  course  was  a  little  west  of  south,  about  a  mile 
and  a  quarter  to  the  crossing  of  the  La  Fayette  road.  General 
Forrest  covering  the  extreme  right  of  the  Confederate  line, 
observed  our  approach  and  at  once  made  a  demonstration  to 
interrupt  our  further  progress.  Our  brigade  moved  rapidly 
up  the  hill  and  formed  line  of  battle  near  the  Hein  house, 
about  400  feet  west  of  the  road,  facing  the  east.  Our  skirm- 
ish line  soon  drove  the  Confederates  back  and  proved  that  it 
was  merely  a  demonstration  for  delay.  General  Granger  at 
once  determined  that  it  should  fail  of  its  purpose  and  ordered 
the  column  forward.  At  the  same  time  orders  were  sent  to 
Colonel  McCook  to  bring  his  brigade  forward  and  look  after 
any  movements  of  the  Confederates  in  our  rear.  We  soon 
passed  the  Cloud  Spring,  and  chased  the  rebel  skirmishers 
away  from  the  Union  field  hospital,  which  had  been  in  their 
possession  some  hours.  About  noon,  or  a  very  little  after, 
the  1 1 5th  passed  over  the  hill  a  few  hundred  feet  to  the  west  of 
the  spring,  near  Colonel  Cloud's  residence.  The  Confederate 
cavalry  was  in  plain  view,  less  than  half  a  mile  to  our  left.  The 
roar  of  battle  was  still  moving  westward.  Still  ignorant  of  the 
fate  of  our  right  wing  and  still  without  orders  from  his  su- 
periors, General  Granger  directed  our  two  brigades  forward 
on  the  double  quick.  Our,  Whitaker's,  brigade  still  in  the 
lead,  closely  followed  by  Mitchell's  brigade,  moved  at  right 
flank  down  the  hill  and  through  the  little  valley  a  third  of  a 
mile  west  of  the  road,  directly  towards  the  Snodgrass  house. 
From  Colonel  Cloud's  to  the  Snodgrass  Hill  is  a  mile  and 


MOVEMENTS  OF  THE  usTH.  125 

a  half,  and  our  course  was  mostly  through  cleared  fields.  Our 
movement  was  even  more  than  a  double  quick.  Urgent  busi- 
ness was  before  us  and  speed  was  necessary.  Then,  General 
Forrest's  cavalry  was  galloping  around  only  a  short  distance 
to  our  left — an  additional  incentive  to  a  rapid  movement.  As 
the  column  entered  the  open  field  directly  west  of  the  McDon- 
ald place,  a  rebel  battery  opened  upon  us  from  the  rising 
ground  a  little  east  of  the  La  Fayette  road,  and  gave  us  a 
vigorous  shelling  all  the  while  we  were  passing.  The  flash 
from  the  guns  could  be  plainly  seen  to  our  left,  and  was 
watched  with  great  interest  by  our  boys  as  they  hurried  along. 
There  was  a  little  rise  in  the  ground  between  us  and  the  bat- 
tery, just  enough  to  put  us  out  of  danger  when  lying  on  the 
ground.  So,  when  the  flash  was  seen,  the  whole  line  would 
quickly  fall,  and  instantly  the  shells  would  go  shrieking  over 
us,  sometimes  exploding  only  a  little  distance  away ;  and  as 
quickly  the  column  would  rise  again  and  resume  its  forward 
movement.  Major  Poteet  was  disposed  to  reprove  the  boys 
for  these  precautions,  until  one  of  the  shells  passed  very  near 
him  and  exploded  a  little  beyond.  After  that  he  thought  it 
well  enough  to  "dodge  a  little".  We  did  not  escape  without 
loss,  however,  for  Captain  Huckstep  of  Company  D  received 
a  wound  from  which  he  died  a  few  weeks  later.  The  colonel's 
orderly  and  some  others  of  the  H5th  were  also  wounded,  all 
of  the  regiments  suffering  some  loss  from  that  battery. 

We  were  then  moving  directly  toward  the  Snodgrass  house. 
To  our  left,  after  passing  the  McDonald  place,  was  a  thick 
forest  extending  to  the  La  Fayette  road,  nearly  half  a  mile  to 
the  east.  Colonel  Marker's  brigade  was  in  line  of  battle  to  our 
front,  his  right  extending  up  the  slope  towards  the  Snodgrass 
house,  and  his  left  down  towards  the  woods,  facing  southeast. 
General  Thomas,  from  his  headquarters  at  Snodgrass  house, 
had  seen  our  approach,  but  being  uncertain  whether  it  was 
friend  or  enemy,  sent  a  staff  officer  to  learn  the  fact.  Imagine 
his  delight  to  be  informed  that  two  fresh  brigades  had  come  to 
his  assistance.  Our  line  had  halted  in  rear  of  Harker's 
brigade  and  was  taking  a  little  much  needed  rest.  General 
Thomas  was  not  yet  fully  aware  of  the  disaster  to  the  right, 


126  ON  SNODGRASS  HILL. 

and  was  at  first  disposed  to  send  our  two  brigades  into  action 
to  the  left  of  Marker's  brigade,  to  drive  the  enemy  from  that 
part  of  the  line.  It  was  about  i  p.  m.,  and  General  Thomas 
then  became  aware  of  the  critical  situation  on  Brannan's  right, 
and  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  as  before  narrated.  His  plans 
were  quickly  changed.  Our  division  was  moved  rapidly  to 
the  right  of  the  Snodgrass  house,  up  the  little  valley  to  the 
northwest  of  the  celebrated  ridge.  Whitaker's  brigade  was 
quickly  formed  in  two  lines,  the  front  line  being  composed  of 
the  96th  Illinois  on  the  right,  the  ii5th  in  the  center  and  the 
22d  Michigan  on  the  left.  In  the  second  line  the  4Oth  Ohio 
was  on  the  right,  the  84th  Indiana  in  the  center  and  the  Spth 
Ohio  on  the  left. 

While  the  formation  was  going  on,  after  the  H5th  was  in 
position,  we  were  permitted  to  lie  down  and  take  a  moment's 
rest.,  It  was  also  a  moment  of  activity  on  the  other  side  of 
the  ridge.  Bushrod  Johnson  and  Hindman  were  at  that  mo- 
ment moving  up  the  southern  slopes.  Longstreet's  plan  to 
take  Thomas  in  the  rear  was  being  put  into  execution.  From 
our  position  we  could  hear  the  "hum"  made  by  their  move- 
ments. It  was  apparent  that  the  clash  of  arms  would  soon 
come.  It  was  certainly  a  serious  moment,  but  there  never  was 
a  time  so  serious  as  to  prevent  John  Darmer  of  Company  E 
having  a  little  fun.  While  his  comrades  were  trying  to  rest, 
he  was  making  grimaces  to  show  how  "scared"  he  was. 

It  was  an  oak  forest,  the  soil  poor  and  gravelly,  and 
then  having  but  little  underbrush.  The  conditions  have 
made  slow  growth  in  those  trees  and  the  visitor  to  Chicka- 
mauga  Park  now  sees  them  not  greatly  larger  than  they  were 
then.  The  hill  was  not  steep  till  near  the  summit.  The  part  of 
the  ridge  in  our  front  extended  from  northeast  to  southwest, 
so  that  we  faced  southeast. 

The  lines  were  soon  formed  and  the  commands,  "atten- 
tion", "fix  bayonets",  "forward — double-quick — march"  were 
sounded  from  right  to  left  by  bugle  tones.  General  Steedman, 
on  his  faithful  charger  directly  behind  the  ii5th,  gave  the 
signal  for  the  "Union  yell"  as  our  lines,  with  gleaming  bay- 
onets, started  on  the  charge  up  that  now  historic  hill.  We 


THE  FIGHT  ON  SNODGRASS 


SUNDAY  AFTERNOON. 


128  ON  SNODGRASS  HILL. 

have  often  heard  of  the  "rebel  yell",  but  the  yell  of  that  charge 
certainly  equalled  their  best.  Doubtless  the  rebels  coming  up 
the  opposite  side  of  the  ridge  were  showing  their  skill  in  that 
line  in  great  style  at  that  moment,  but  we  were  making  too 
much  noise  to  hear  it.  It  was  a  race  for  the  crest  of  that 
ridge,  with  the  chances  about  equal.  On  rushed  our  column, 
bearing  a  little  to  the  right,  slackening  pace  a  little  at  the  steep- 
est part,  but  never  wavering  till  the  summit  was  reached,  about 
four  hundred  yards  from  the  starting  point.  As  our  lines 
rolled  over  the  crest,  the  Confederates  were  in  plain  view,  in 
some  places  scarcely  more  than  sixty  yards  distant.  For  a 
moment  the  clash  of  bayonets  seemed  inevitable,  but  we  had 
the  advantage.  Every  man  presented  a  bright  bayonet,  while 
many  of  the  Confederates  were  without  that  weapon.  The 
men  in  that  plight  could  not  stand  against  our  advancing  line 
of  steel.  The  intense  excitement  of  that  moment  can  be  real- 
ized or  appreciated  only  by  those  who  have  had  similar  ex- 
perience. After  a  volley  the  Confederates  gave  way,  closely 
followed  by  our  front  line,  a  distance  of  perhaps  eighty  or  one 
hundred  yards  down  the  southern  slope.  A  Confederate  cap- 
tain, who  was  in  our  front  at  the  time,  in  going  over  the  ground 
with  the  writer  in  1890.  expressed  his  opinion  that  our  farthest 
advance  in  that  charge  was  at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  from  the  crest.  This  view  is  supported  by  the  testimony 
of  many  of  our  own  comrades,  yet  the  writer  prefers  the  more 
conservative  statement. 

The  retreat  of  the  enemy  before  us  was  certainly  far  from  a 
rout,  for  as  soon  as  we  halted,  they  turned  upon  us  with  the 
most  terrific  musketry  fire  ever  seen  in  any  battle.  For 
twenty  minutes  a  musketry  duel,  with  all  the  fury  imaginable, 
raged  between  our  lines,  with  fearful  losses  on  both  sides. 
Being  unable  to  stand  it  longer,  the  Confederates  withdrew  to 
reform  their  lines,  and  our  front  line  fell  back  a  little  beyond 
the  crest,  allowing  the  second  line  to  pass  to  the  front. 

In  the  meantime  Colonel  Mitchell's  brigade  having  passed 
in  the  rear  of  our  brigade,  moved  forward  and  engaged  the 
enemy  on  the  ridge  to  our  right,  facing  south.  In  getting  into 
position,  by  some  means  the  right  of  Colonel  Mitchell's  brigade 


ON  SNODGRASS  HILL.  129 

got  in  between  the  right  wing  of  the  96th  Illinois  and  the  rest 
of  that  regiment.  Supposing  the  repeated  commands  "give 
way  to  the  right"  came  from  the  officers  of  the  96th,  the  right 
wing  continued  moving  to  the  right  until  it  occupied  an  ex- 
posed position  on  the  high  ground  on  the  extreme  right  of  the 
division,  where  it  remained  till  the  close  of  the  engagement. 
Both  officers  and  men  seem  to  have  been  ignorant  of  the  sepa- 
ration, but  supposed  that  the  96th  regiment  was  on  the  ex- 
treme right. 

The  boys  of  the  U5th  were  exceedingly  glad  to  get  even  a 
short  rest.  Many  improved  the  time  in  taking  a  hasty  lunch 
of  hardtack  and  raw  fat  pork.  The  reader  may  think  it  pretty 
hard  fare,  but  those  of  us  fortunate  enough  to  have  a  little, 
thought  it  very  sweet.  It  is  wonderful  how  such  work  sharpens 
a  young  fellow's  appetite.  While  we  lay  along  the  side  of  the 
hill,  the  second  line  now  in  front  lay  at  the  crest  watching  for 
the  approach  of  the  enemy.  The  Confederate  force  engaged 
in  this  conflict  on  Snodgrass  Ridge  consisted  of  Humphrey's, 
Kershaw's,  Anderson's,  Gregg's,  Johnson's,  McNair's,  Deas' 
and  Manigault's  brigades,  in  the  order  named  from  their  right 
to  left.  Humphrey's  and  Kershaw's  brigades  confionted 
Brannan's  command,  Gen.  Patton  Anderson's,  Gregg's  and 
Johnson's  brigades  were  in  front  of  General  Whitaker's 
brigade  and  McNair's,  Deas'  and  Manigault's  against  Mit- 
chell's brigade.  Anderson's  brigade,  composed  of  the  7th, 
9th,  loth,  4 ist  and  44th  Mississippi  Infantry  and  9th  Battal- 
ion Mississippi  Sharp  Shooters,  covered  the  front  of  the 
i)  5th.  These  eight  brigades  of  Confederates  were  reenforced 
between  four  and  five  o'clock  by  Kelly's,  Trigg's  and  Gracie's 
brigades  of  Preston's  division. 

Assault  after  assault  was  made  on  our  lines,  each  time  re- 
pulsed with  great  loss.  Very  soon  the  second  line,  now  in 
front,  was  greatly  thinned  and  hard  pressed.  Perhaps  in  all 
not  thirty  minutes  had  passed,  when  the  ii5th  was  again 
called  into  action,  going  in  just  a  little  to  the  right  of  its  for- 
mer position,  to  give  room  for  the  89th  Ohio  on  our  left.  The 
two  lines  were  now  sufficient  for  one  line  only.  From  that 
time  on  the  battle  raged  with  incessant  fury,  but  Whitaker's 


ON  SNODGRASS  HILL.  131 

brigade  held  the  crest  of  the  ridge  with  slight  exceptions  till 
after  5  p.  m.  Mitchell's  brigade  had  a  more  varied  experience. 
Sometimes  it  was  forced  back  a  little,  but  each  time  quickly 
rallied  and  regained  the  lost  ground.  In  one  of  these  charges 
the  12  ist  Ohio  captured  the  CQlors  of  the  22d  Alabama,  which 
had  been  too  bold  in  its  advance. 

The  south  spur  of  the  ridge  made  a  favorable  position  for 
Dent's  and  Everett's  Confederate  batteries,  which  enabled 
them  to  rake  the  depression  to  the  left  of  Mitchell's  brigade, 
making  it  warm  for  the  96th  Illinois,  4Oth  Ohio  and  the  right 
of  the  H5th.  All  this  time  the  battle  was  raging  with  almost 
equal  fury  all  along  the  front  of  General  Brannan's  position. 
Some  time  after  the  reserve  corps  entered  the  conflict,  Van 
Derveer's  brigade  came  to  Brannan's  assistance.  It  had  done 
splendid  service  on  Baird's  left  earlier  in  the  day,  but  being 
no  longer  pressed  on  that  line,  and  hearing  the  roar  of  battle 
on  the  devoted  ridge,  hastened  to  rejoin  its  division.  A  detour 
of  a  mile  or  more  through  the  woods  and  fields  to  the  north 
and  east  of  the  Snodgrass  house  brought  it  to  Brannan's  right, 
where  it  entered  the  line  to  the  left  of  the  22d  Michigan,  great- 
ly to  our  relief.  The  center  of  the  ii5th,  the  center  of  Whit- 
aker's  brigade,  was  on  the  high  point  in  the  ridge,  next  south- 
west from  the  present  observation  tower.  The  curve  in  the 
ridge  at  that  point,  together  with  the  ravines  extending  down 
toward  the  Confederate  position,  at  both  our  right  and  left 
flanks,  as  well  as  the  spur  in  the  ridge  in  front  of  Mitchell's 
brigade,  gave  the  U5th  a  peculiarly  exposed  position.  It  was 
necessary  for  our  line  to  be  on  the  crest  in  order  to  do  effective 
work.  But  being  there  exposed  it  not  only  to  the  murderous 
fire  of  the  enemy  in  front,  but  to  an  equally  destructive  fire 
from  the  slopes  beyond  the  ravines  to  the  right  and  left,  as  well 
as  from  their  artillery  planted  on  the  crest  of  the  south  spur. 

It  was  a  continuous  musketry  duel  between  the  H5th  and 
its  opposing  Confederates,  with  waves  of  more  or  less  fury. 
The  enemy  was  frequently  driven  beyond  the  foot  of  the  hill, 
but  as  frequently  returned  to  the  charge  with  great  prompt- 
ness. Occasionally  the  impetuous  assaults  of  the  Confederates 
forced  us  a  little  from  the  crest.  Major-General  Rosecrans, 


132  ON  SNODGRASS  HILL. 

in  his  official  report  referring  to  the  battle  on  this  part  of  the 
line,  says :  "The  fight  on  the  left  after  2  p.  m.  was  the  fight 
of  the  army.  Never  in  the  history  of  this  war  at  least,  have 
troops  fought  with  greater  energy  and  determination.  Bay- 
onet charges  often  heard  of  but  seldom  seen,  were  repeatedly 
made  by  brigades  and  regiments.  The  fury  of  the  conflict  was 
nearly  as  great  on  the  fronts  of  Brannan  and  Wood,  being  less 
furious  towards  the  left." 

Maj.-Gen.  T.  C.  Hindman,  who  commanded  the  troops  in 
our  front,  in  his  official  report,  speaking  of  the  arrival  of 
Preston's  division,  in  answer  to  his  call  for  reenforcements, 
says :  "These  brave  troops  as  they  arrived  were  conducted  by 
officers  of  my  staff  to  the  right  of  my  line,  and  promptly  ad- 
vanced, in  conjunction  with  the  rest,  upon  the  enemy.  From 
this  time  (4:20  p.  m.)  we  gained  ground;  but  though  now 
commanding  .nine  brigades,  with  Kershaw  co-operating,  and 
all  in  action,  I  found  the  gain  both  slow  and  costly.  I  have 
never  known  Federal  troops  to  fight  so  well.  It  is  just  to  say, 
also,  that  I  never  saw  Confederate  soldiers  fight  better." 

As  showing  the  effect  of  the  work  of  our  two  brigades  the 
official  report  of  Gen.  Bushrod  Johnson,  referring  to  Deas' 
and  Manigault's  brigades  that  had  been  driven  back  to  the  foot 
of  the  hill,  and  which  were  requested  to  return  to  his  support, 
is  quoted:  "Lieutenant  Marchbanks  (his  aid)  reports  that 
Brigadier-General  Deas  replied,  'that  on  consultation  with 
General  Manigault,  they  had  decided  that  it  would  not  be  safe 
to  put  their  commands  in  the  same  position  without  the  sup- 
port of  fresh  troops.' ':  Further  speaking  of  the  character  of 
the  conflict,  he  says :  "Over  three  hours  passed  in  this  conflict, 
in  which  officers  and  men  toiled  on  and  manifested  more  per- 
severance, determination  and  endurance  than  I  have  ever  be- 
fore witnessed  on  any  field."  It  must  not  be  supposed  that  our 
lines  were  dressed  as  on  parade,  and  that  our  men  fired  in  vol- 
leys in  pursuance  of  regular  commands  "load — ready — fire." 
The  men  loaded  and  fired  at  will.  Each  man  handled  his  gun 
in  his  own  way,  getting  in  as  many  and  as  effective  shots  as 
possible.  Sometimes  the  whole  line  lay  close  to  the  ground, 
loading  and  firing  without  rising,  in  this  way  doing  very  de- 


ON  SNODGRASS  HILL.  133 

structive  work  without  being  exposed  to  the  shower  of  bullets 
passing  overhead.  At  other  times  the  men  would  step  back  a 
few  paces  from  the  crest,  load  their  pieces,  and  then  step  brisk- 
ly forward  till  a  good  aim  would  be  secured,  fire,  and  as  quick- 
ly repeat  the  operation.  At  one  time  the  writer  observed  Ser- 
geant Aylesworth  of  Company  K  going  far  to  the  front  in  or- 
der to  get  a  good  view  of  the  enemy,  and  remonstrated  against 
his  rashness,  and  urged  that  he  should  be  more  prudent. 
Within  a  few  minutes  he  saw  the  lifeless  body  of  the  daring 
sergeant  lying  some  paces  in  front  of  our  line.  There  was 
such  a  constant  shower  of  bullets  passing  over  our  heads,  most- 
ly from  ten  to  fifty  feet  above  us,  that  almost  any  moment 
leaves,  twigs  and  pieces  of  bark  would  be  seen  falling  from  the 
trees.  About  4:30  p.  m.  the  want  of  ammunition  began  to  be 
seriously  felt.  The  cartridge  boxes  of  dead  and  wounded 
comrades  were  emptied ;  soon  many  men  were  entirely  out  of 
ammunition.  Our  ammunition  train  had  been  appropriated  by 
other  divisions,  and  there  seemed  no  possible  source  of  sup- 
ply. About  that  time  Preston's  fresh  division  of  three 
brigades  appeared  in  our  front  and  began  a  furious  assault. 
Our  lines  were  greatly  thinned.  The  men  of  various  regiments 
were  intermingled  in  many  places.  The  most  natural  thing 
occurred ;  General  Whitaker's  brigade  began  to  retire  from 
the  hill.  Every  man  that  could  find  a  cartridge  was  using  it 
to  the  best  advantage.  Even  those  without  ammunition  were 
but  slowly  moving  to  the  rear.  In  this  way  the  H5th  had 
fallen  back  possibly  75  or  80  yards  from  the  crest,  when  Gen- 
eral Steedman  came  galloping  along  the  line,  and  inquired  of 
Colonel  Moore  why  he  was  not  holding  his  ground — why  re- 
treating. To  which  Colonel  Moore  replied :  "We  are  out  of 
ammunition,  give  us  ammunition  and  we  will  hold  the  hill 
against  all  odds."  The  general  responded,  "Give  them  the 
bayonet  then".  With  great  promptness  Colonel  Moore  gave 
the  commands  "fix  bayonets",  "forward  double-quick  march", 
and  with  equal  promptness,  worn,  wearied,  reduced  in  numbers 
as  they  >vere,  the  boys  of  the  H5th  obeyed  the  command.  As 
we  started  forward,  General  Steedman  seized  our  colors  and 
carried  them  a  short  distance  in  the  charge,  giving  great  en- 


134  ON  SNODGRASS  HILL. 

thusiasm  to  the  men.  Thus,  without  ammunition,  that  volun- 
teer regiment  was  led  in  that  charge  up  Snodgrass  Hill,  to  the 
crest  and  beyond,  even  driving  Preston's  fresh  troops  to  the 
valley  below.  This  was  the  celebrated  "Flag  Incident"  told 
in  so  many  ways  in  reports,  war  articles  and  histories.  Gen- 
eral Rosecrans,  in  his  official  report  puts  it  in  the  first  charge, 
saying,  "quick  as  thought  he  directed  his  advance  brigade 
upon  the  enemy.  General  Steedman,  taking  a  regimental 
color,  led  the  column."  Most  writers  upon  the  battle  have 
followed  his  statement.  It  certainly  sounds  grand  to  speak  of 
the  commanding  general  going  into  battle,  leading  his  advance 
regiment,  carrying  its  colors.  But  it  does  not  detract  a  particle 
of  the  well-merited  praise  from  the  general  to  tell  it  as  it  oc- 
curred, that  he  carried  that  flag  in  the  last  charge  of  the  day, 
and  by  the  side  of  the  equally  gallant  colonel  of  the  regiment, 
assisted  in  leading  his  broken,  weary  troops  to  a  final  triumph 
over  their  assailant. 

The  Confederates  were  stunned  by  the  impetuosity  of  the 
charge.  They  doubtless  attributed  it  to  large  reenforcements 
of  fresh  troops.  Perhaps  they  thought  it  wise  to  take  their 
bearings  before  renewing  the  contest.  They  at  least  were 
content  to  rest  a  while  and  permit  our  brigade  to  quietly  re- 
main on  the  crest  of  the  ridge,  enjoying  its  honors.  Well  did 
Rosecrans  characterize  this  conflict  on  Snodgrass  Hill  after 
2  p.  m.  as  the  battle  of  the  army,  for  comparative  quiet  pre- 
vailed nearly  all  the  afternoon  in  front  of  Baird's,  Johnson's, 
Palmer's  and  Reynolds''  divisions,  which  still  held  their  posi- 
tions about  the  Kelly  farm.  Bragg's  right  wing  was  so  badly 
used  up  during  the  early  part  of  the  day,  that  he  did  not  think 
it  wise  to  make  any  further  attempts  on  that  part  of  the  line. 
Longstreet  says,  in  his  official  report:  "About  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  I  asked  the  commanding  general  for  some  of 
the  troops  of  the  right  wing,  but  was  informed  by  him  that 
they  had  been  beaten  back  so  badly  that  they  could  be  of  no 
service  to  me".  About  five  o'clock  General  Thomas  began 
withdrawing  his  left  wing.  As  General  Reynolds,  in  this  move- 
ment, was  passing  through  the  woods  to  the  west  of  Kelly's 
place,  he  encountered  a  large  force  of  rebels,  which,  being 


ON  SNODGRASS  HILL.  135 

charged  by  Turchin's  brigade,  were  soon  driven  beyond 
Baird's  left.  As  Baird's,  Johnson's  and  Palmer's  divisions 
were  withdrawing  from  the  line,  they  were  all  attacked  with 
more  or  less  vigor,  but  without  serious  loss.  Turchin's  and 
Willich's  brigades  were  strongly  posted  to  cover  this  retreat, 
and  by  6 130  the  entire  left  wing  was  in  full  retreat  on  the  sev- 
eral roads  leading  to  McFarland's  Gap.  This  being  accom- 
plished, orders  were  given  for  the  withdrawal  of  Wood's, 
Brannan's  and  Granger's  forces.  This  was  accomplished  as 
rapidly  and  in  as  good  order  as  possible,  under  the  circum- 
stances. On  receiving  the  order  our  brigade  quietly  dropped 
back  from  the  crest  of  Snodgrass  Ridge,  a  little  after  sunset, 
passed  the  little  ravine  at  its  base  and  formed  line  on  the  next 
ridge.  As  this  movement  was  made  we  supposed  all  the  other 
troops  had  preceded  us,  as  we  heard  no  firing  on  either  right 
or  left.  It  seems,  however,  that  was  an  error.  By  some 
strange  fatality  the  command  to  withdraw  failed  to  reach  the 
22d  Michigan,  Sgth  Ohio  and  2ist  Ohio.  These  regiments  oc- 
cupied the  depression  in  the  ridge  next  to  the  left  of  the  H5th. 
About  dusk  the  brigade  began  the  retreat  toward  Rossville, 
taking  the  road  leading  to  McFarland's  Gap.  About  the  same 
time  Trigg's  brigade  of  Preston's  division,  meeting  no  opposi- 
tion on  the  ridge,  crossed  over  through  the  depression  to 
the  right  of  the  ground  formerly  occupied  by  the  H5th,  and 
wheeling  to  the  right,  soon  appeared  in  the  rear  of  the  22d 
Michigan,  Sgth  and  2ist  Ohio,  while  Kelly's  brigade  of  the 
same  division  was  attacking  in  front.  A  portion  of  each  regi- 
ment made  a  successful,  though  desperate,  break  for  liberty, 
while  the  remainder,  finding  themselves  surrounded,  were  com- 
pelled to  surrender. 

Private  G.  S.  Robinson  of  Company  H,  now  a  judge  of  the 
Iowa  Supreme  Court,  had  assisted  some  wounded  comrades 
back  to  the  ambulance  corps,  and  in  attempting  to  return  to 
the  regiment  passed  through  the  lines  of  the  22d  Michigan, 
towards  the  position  formerly  occupied  by  the  H5th  on  the 
hill.  The  2ist  Ohio  had  formed  a  line  near  him,  and  about 
that  time  a  Confederate  line  came  on  the  hill  and  opened  fire, 
in  which  Judge  Robinson  was  severely  wounded.  Being 


RETREAT  TO  ROSSVILLE.  137 

helped  a  short  distance  by  a  soldier  of  the  2ist  Ohio,  and 
having  dragged  himself  a  little  farther  till  exhausted,  he  was 
compelled  to  lie  there  until  morning.  Judge  Robinson  says  he 
witnessed  that  last  contest  between  the  22d  Michigan  and  8Qth 
Ohio  and  2ist  Ohio  and  the  Confederate  line,  supposed  to  be 
Kelly's  brigade,  and  that  that  was  the  last  firing  in  the  battle 
of  Chickamauga.  He  must  have  been  within  a  few  rods  of 
those  regiments  when  they  surrendered,  and  could  well  have 
heard  it  if  any  fighting  was  going  on  in  the  position  occupied 
by  Van  Derveer's  brigade  in  the  afternoon.  Judge  Robinson 
says  no  further  firing  occurred.  Therefore,  it  is  fair  to  con- 
clude that  General  Brannan  was  mistaken  when  he  contended 
that  his  troops  remained  on  Snodgrass  Hill  after  the  capture 
of  these  regiments,  and  that  "he  sent  the  35th  Ohio  to  hold  the 
position,  which  it  did  successfully  against  a  subsequent  attack 
of  the  rebels."  (See  his  letter  to  Major  McMahan  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  2ist  Ohio.)  The  statement  in  his  official  report, 
written  very  soon  after  the  battle,  before  his  perceptions  were 
in  any  way  affected  by  controversy,  that  "Shortly  after  sunset 
I  withdrew,  without  molestation  to  Rossville",  is  perhaps  cor- 
rect. Why  should  General  Brannan  remain  on  the  hill  an 
hour  or  more  after  the  other  troops  had  withdrawn  ?  General 
Thomas  had  given  orders  at  5  130  for  the  withdrawal  of  Baird, 
Johnson,  Palmer  and  Reynolds,  and  had  personally  visited  the 
woods  east  of  Snodgrass  Hill  and  directed  Turchin's  and  Wil- 
lich's  brigades  to  cover  their  retreat.  General  Thomas  then 
says,  in  his  official  report :  "These  dispositions  being  made,  I 
sent  orders  to  Wood,  Brannan  and  Granger  to  withdraw  from 
their  positions".  Note  the  order  of  names.  It  was  the  order 
they  occupied  from  left  to  right.  General  Thomas  was  then 
near  Wood's  left.  It  is  more  than  probable  the  order  to  retire 
was  received  first  by  Wood,  then  by  Brannan  and  then  by 
Steedman.  Brannan  had  the  orders,  and  if  he  kept  his  troops 
there  until  after  those  three  unlucky  regiments  were  captured, 
it  certainly  shows  neglect  of  his  orders.  From  all  the  evidence, 
it  seems  well  established  that  General  Brannan's  troops  were 
withdrawn  from  the  hill  and  started  on  their  way  to  Rossville 
about  the  same  time  General  Steedman's  did,  and  that  the 


138  RETREAT  TO  ROSSVILLE. 

three  regiments  named  were  left  there  by  mistake,  in  ignorance 
of  the  order  to  retire. 

The  retreat  to  Rossville  was  made  without  much  regard  to 
order.  Many  wounded  were  to  be  carried  or  in  some  way 
helped  in  their  efforts  to  escape  capture.  Otherwise,  every- 
one was  taking  care  of  himself.  Not  much  attention  was  given 
to  regimental  or  brigade  organizations.  All  followed  the 
stream  leading  to  Rossville.  On  the  way  the  writer  passed 
Lieutenant  Steen  being  carried  on  a  stretcher  by  four  of  his 
faithful  boys.  He  had  been  severely  wounded  by  a  minie 
ball  passing  through  his  body,  and  was  utterly  unable  to  help 
himself.  When  asked  about  his  condition,  he  said,  "I  expect 
to  die,  but  I  do  not  want  to  die  among  the  enemy".  General 
Sheridan's  and  Davis'  divisions  had  been  pretty  well  reor- 
ganized. The  others  having  made  the  retreat  of  five  to  six 
miles  through  the  woods  in  the  night,  had  scarcely  the  sem- 
blance of  an  organization.  The  men  stacked  arms  by  squads 
rather  than  by  regiments.  All  were  desperately  tired,  hungry 
and  thirsty.  Some  searched  for  water,  while  others  were 
hunting  for  wounded  comrades.  All  sought  rest  on  the  ground 
as  soon  as  possible. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


REPORTS  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  CHICKAMAUGA. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Kinman  was  killed  in  the  first  charge, 
while  fearlessly  cheering  the  regiment  forward.  He  fell  with- 
in a  few  feet  of  the  spot  now  occupied  by  the  ii5th  monument, 
being  shot  through  the  body.  While  being  ministered  to  by 
some  of  the  men,  he  expressed  to  Captain  Rutherford  the 
opinion  that  his  wound  was  fatal.  A  moment  later  he  received 
a  second  shot  which  passed  through  his  forehead,  and  imme- 
diately expired.  About  the  same  time  Capt.  S.  Barlow  Espy 
of  Company  G,  then  brigade  commissary  on  the  staff  of  Gen- 
eral Whitaker,  and  serving  as  voluntary  aide-de-camp  during 
the  battle,  received  a  fatal  shot  while  courageously  riding 
along  the  lines,  carrying  orders  and  urging  the  troops  forward. 
In  that  first  charge  Company  E  lost  three  of  its  best  and 
bravest  men,  all  killed  near  the  same  spot,  the  farthest  advance 
of  the  company  on  the  south  side  of  the  hill.  The  first  to  fall 
was  Private  Meyers  J.  Ashmead.  Corp.  James  Johnson  and 
Private  Henry  J.  Ruby  fell  a  moment  later.  All  died  without 
a  struggle. 

About  this  time  Private  John  O.  Darmer  of  the  same  com- 
pany, received  two  wounds  in  quick  succession,  threw  down 
his  gun  and  began  dancing  around  and  swinging  his  hands, 
much  the  same  as  he  had  done  in  pretence  of  fear  just  before 
the  assault  began.  So  well  did  he  imitate  his  ordinary  fun- 
making  pranks,  that  Lieutenant  Royse  thought  he  was  at  his 
old  tricks,  and  sharply  ordered  him  to  "take  up  his  gun  and 
go  to  work".  Lieutenant  Bailey  of  Company  K  was  also 
wounded  about  that  time.  For  a  time  it  was  supposed  he  was 
left  with  the  dead  on  the  south  side  of  the  hill.  In  this  con- 
nection a  daring  act  was  performed  by  First  Sergeant  Ayles- 


140  INCIDENTS  OF  THE  BATTLE. 

worth  of  Company  K,  who  asked  permission  of  the  colonel 
during  the  lull  in  battle  after  the  first  charge,  to  go  over  the 
hill  to  try  to  find  Lieutenant  Bailey  and  bring  him  away.  He 
failed  to  find  the  lieutenant,  but  while  making  his  search  he 
looked  up  the  hill  towards  our  line  and  observed  three  rebels 
with  guns  in  their  hands,  engaged  in  searching  the  Union 
dead  for  valuables,  wholly  unconscious  of  his  presence.  Quick 
as  thought  he  drew  a  bead  on  them  and  commanded  them  to 
drop  their  guns  and  throw  up  their  hands,  which  they  prompt- 
ly did.  He  then  deliberately  marched  them  before  him  into 
our  lines,  his  prisoners  of  war.  When  asked  by  Colonel  Moore 
why  three  of  them  surrendered  to  one,  they  replied,  "He  had 
the  drop  on  us,  and  neither  of  us  wanted  to  die". 

Robert  Bivans  of  Company  E  had  been  on  duty  at  the  col- 
onel's headquarters.  Seeing  a  battle  ahead,  he  insisted  on  re- 
turning to  his  company,  that  he  might  have  his  share  in  it. 
Having  no  gun,  he  had  no  chance  to  fight,  until  a  wounded 
man  of  the  4Oth  Ohio,  handed  him  his  Springfield  rifle.  From 
that  on  Bob  was  in  the  front  till  late  that  afternoon  when,  just 
as  he  was  taking  aim  for  a  good  shot,  a  bullet  went  through 
the  elbow  joint  of  his  right  arm,  and  ended  his  active  service 
as  a  soldier. 

Elmer  E.  Robinson  of  Company  H  fell  mortally  wounded 
and  was  left  on  the  field.  His  last  words  \vere:  "If  I  die,  tell 
father  I  died  doing  my  duty." 

Sergeant  Alfred  Shively  of  Company  F  was  conspicuous 
for  his  bravery.  Colonel  Moore,  in  a  letter,  says :  "When  last 
I  saw  this  young  man,  he  had  rushed  some  distance  in  advance 
of  his  company  of  brave  comrades,  for  he  had  as  brave  men 
by  his  side  as  ever  stood  in  battle,  waving  his  hat  and  shout- 
ing, 'Come  on,  boys,  the  day  is  ours/  I  trembled  for  his 
safety  in  his  exposed  position.  The  carnage  about  this  time 
was  terrible.  And  there  he  went  down.  His  comrades  are 
of  the  opinion  that  he  was  instantly  killed." 

During  the  rest  after  the  first  charge  a  wag  among  our 
officers,  observingva  bullet  hole  in  Captain  Lapham's  sword 
scabboard,  the  sword  then  shining  through  it,  asked  the  cap- 
tain how  the  bullet  got  through  without  breaking  the  sword. 


INCIDENTS  OF  THE  BATTLE.  141 

It  did  not  occur  to  the  captain,  who  was  not  ready  at  seeing 
a  joke,  that  his  sword  was  doing  duty  out  of  the  scabboard 
at  the  time,  and  he  replied,  "Well,  that  is  strange,  surely." 

The  conduct  of  officers  and  men  was  of  such  high  order, 
and  nearly  all  of  them  so  distinguished  themselves  in  the  ac- 
tion, and  were  so  deserving  of  commendation  that  it  would 
be  difficult  to  do  justice  to  them  by  mentioning  their  names, 
without  naming  nearly  the  entire  regiment.  It  may  not  be 
amiss,  however,  to  say  that  Col.  Jesse  H.  Moore  well  earned 
his  title,  the  "fighting  parson".  He  was  constantly  in  the 
thickest  of  the  battle,  riding  fearlessly  from  one  wing  to  the 
other  and  encouraging  the  regiment  to  valiant  deeds  by  his 
presence,  words  and  example.  Chaplain  Crissey  is  especially 
deserving  of  mention  for  his  devotion  to  the  care  of  the 
wounded.  Henry  Roberts  of  Company  E,  a  recruit  received 
while  that  company  was  at  Normandy  and  not  yet  mustered, 
must  not  be  omitted.  He  had  been  conscripted  into  the  Con- 
federate army  in  East  Tennessee  and  had  been  compelled 
to  fight  against  his  country,  till  an  opportunity  came  to  de- 
sert them  in  Middle  Tennessee  in  the  summer  of  '63.  He 
wanted  to  make  amends  by  fighting  for  his  country,  and  after 
much  insistance  on  his  part,  was  sworn  into  the  company. 
How  well  he  proved  his  loyalty  is  attested  by  his  brave,  earnest 
work  that  afternoon.  No  one  was  more  courageous,  none 
more  active.  His  untimely  death  at  the  hands  of  his  old  Con- 
federate regiment,  after  a  hasty  drumhead  court  martial,  a 
few  days  after  the  battle,  was  most  keenly  lamented  by  all 
who  knew  him.  Being  one  of  the  unfortunate  captives  from 
the  ferry-boat  opposite  Lookout  Mountain,  strangely  enough 
he  was  marched  past  his  old  comrades,  who  recognized  him. 
We  may  be  pardoned  for  mentioning  another  soldier  of  Com- 
pany E,  Samuel  W.  Quick,  who  was  noted  for  his  quiet,  inof- 
fensive disposition.  So  much  was  this  so  that  any  amount  of 
good-natured  cuffing  and  abuse  were  given  him  by  those  who 
would  make  fun  at  other's  expense,  without  the  slightest  re- 
taliation or  resistance  on  his  part.  It  had  come  to  be  thought 
that  Sam  Quick  was  a  coward,  and  would  be  sure  to  run  at 
the  first  show  of  battle.  Not  so  with  the  record.  When  the 


142  THE  LOSSES. 

test  came  that  Sunday  afternoon,  Sam  was  in  the  front  line 
loading  and  firing  in  the  most  deliberate  manner,  without  the 
least  evidence  of  fear.  Men  fell  all  around  him  without  chang- 
ing his  conduct,  and  thus  he  fought  till  ordered  away.  Never 
after  that  did  any  one  question  his  courage  or  in  any  manner 
offer  him  indignity. 

Lieut.  David  Reed,  really  in  command  of  Company  F, 
though  the  first  lieutenant  was  on  the  field,  was  conspicuous 
for  his  bravery  and  the  ability  with  which  he  handled  his  com- 
pany in  the  action,  until  he  fell  mortally  wounded. 

General  Whitaker  and  his  staff — eight  officers — were  all 
killed  or  wounded,  except  one.  General  Whitaker  was  slightly 
wounded  in  the  abdomen,  but  was  stunned  by  the  shot  and 
while  uncertain  of  the  character  of  the  wound,  turned  the 
command  of  the  brigade  over  to  Colonel  Champion  of  the 
96th.  He  was  soon  informed  by  the  surgeon  that  his  wound 
was  not  serious,  when  he  promptly  returned  to  the  command 
of  the  brigade.  Captain  Espy,  his  commissary,  and  Lievit.  J. 
B.  Mason,  aide-de-camp,  were  both  killed ;  Lieut.  Jesse 
Hanon  of  Company  A  was  wounded  and  captured ;  Capt. 
James  Allen  severely  wounded,  and  Captain  Rowen  captured. 
One  only  escaped — Lieut.  G.  W.  Pepoon  of  the  96th,  acting 
aide-de-camp.  Capt.  William  C.  Russell,  assistant  adjutant- 
general  on  the  staff  of  General  Granger,  was  killed  while  carry- 
ing orders  through  the  thickest  of  the  battle.  He  fell  near 
the  center  of  the  i  I5th,  at  the  crest  of  the  ridge. 

The  loss  on  both  sides  was  appalling.  That  of  Whitaker's 
brigade,  49.31  per  cent,  as  shown  on  the  tablet  placed  on  the 
ridge  by  the  Chickamauga  Commission,  has  rarely  been  ex- 
ceeded in  the  world's  history.  Almost  all  its  loss  was  suffered 
in  that  one  afternoon,  while  most  other  brigades  had  much 
loss  on  Saturday  and  on  Sunday  in  the  forenoon,  yet  the  loss 
of  this  brigade  far  exceeded  that  of  any  other  brigade  in  the 
battle.  The  return  of  the  casualties  attached  to  General  Rose- 
crans'  report,  made  from  the  most  reliable  information  then 
obtainable,  gave  the  loss  by  brigades  as  follows : 


CAPT.  S.  BARLOW  ESPY. 

COMPANY  G. 
KILLED  AT  CHICKAMAUGUA. 


THE  LOSSES.  143 

Baird's  Division — 

Scribner's 732 

Starkweather's    606 

King's   839 

2,177 

Negley's  Division — 

John  Beatty's 310 

Stanley's    215 

Sirwell's    266 

791 

Brannan's  Division — 

Connell's 442 

Croxton's  938 

Van  Derveer's 810 

2,190 

Reynolds'  Division — 

Wilder's  125 

E.   A.    King's 484 

Turchin's  343 

952 

Total  I4th  Corps 6, 1 10 

Davis'  Division — 

Carlin's   651    ' 

Heg's. 696 

1,347 
Johnson's  Division — 

Willich's  535 

Dodge's  536 

Baldwin's   568 

1.639 
Sheridan's  Division — 

Lytle's  460 

Laiboldt's    389 

Bradley's    517 

1,366 

Total  2Oth  Corps 4,352 

Wood's  Division — 

Buell's    651 

Marker's   392 

i,043 


144  THE  LOSSES. 

Palmer's  Division — 

Graft's   290 

Hazen's 500 

Grose's 517 

1,307 
Van  Cleve's  Division — 

Sam  Beatty's 331 

Dick's 279 

Barnes'    299 

909 


Total  2ist  Corps  3,259 

Steedman's  Division — 

Whitaker's    1,326 

Mitchell's   461 

D.  McCook's 34 

1,821 

While  these  returns  have  been  proved  by  subsequent  re- 
ports to  be  in  some  respects  inaccurate,  and  really  far  short  of 
the  actual  loss  sustained,  they  are  quite  sufficient  to  show  the 
relative  casualties  of  the  different  commands.  It  will  be  seen 
that  the  loss  of  Whitaker's  brigade  in  that  one  afternoon 
was  greater  than  that  of  the  entire  divisions  of  Negley,  Rey- 
nolds, Wood,  Palmer  or  Van  Cleve  in  the  entire  battle  of  two 
days.  That  it  was  more  than  twice  that  of  any  other  brigade 
excepting  only  Scribner's,  King's,  Croxton's,  Van  Derveer's 
and  Heg's,  and  it  exceeded  Croxton's  by  388,  Van  Der- 
veer's by  516,  Scribner's  by  594,  King's  by  487  and  Heg's 
by  630. 

In  this  connection  it  will  be  interesting  to  notice  the  loss 
of  the  Confederate  brigade  in  our  front  that  afternoon,  taken 
from  their  official  returns  published  in  the  Rebellion  Record. 

Hindman's   Division — 

Anderson's 568 

Deas'    729 

Manigault's    539 

1,836 

Johnson's  Division — 

Johnson's   373 

Gregg's  577 

McNair's   (no  return) 

950 


THE  LOSSES.  145 

McLaw's  Division — 

Kershaw's  488 

Humphrey's 152 

640 

Hood's   Division — 

Robertson's   570 

Benning's  488 

Law's 390 

1,448 

Preston's  Division — 

Gracie's    668 

Trigg's    281 

Kelly's    310 

1,259 
Stewart's  Division — 

Brown's 480 

Bate's   604 

Clayton's 619 

1,703 


Total   Longstreet's  left  wing  (infantry)  ........   7,836 

The  loss  of  the  ii5th,  as  shown  by  Rosecrans'  official  re- 
port, was  : 

Officers  killed  .  ...............................       2 

Enlisted  men  killed   ..........................     20 

22 
Officers  wounded  .............................       9 

Enlisted  men  wounded  .................  .......   142 


Total  killed  and  wounded  .................  173 

Officers   captured    ............................       i 

Enlisted  men  captured  ........................       9 

-  10 


Total  loss    183 

The  same  report  gave  the  loss  of  the  96th  Illinois  at  225 ; 
fifty  of  them  being  in  the  list  of  captured  and  missing,  would 
leave  its  total  killed  and  wounded  at  175,  or  two  more  than  that 
of  the  H5th. 


146  THE  LOSSES. 

The  total  loss  of  the  other  regiments  of  Whitaker's  brig- 
ade was : 

84th  Indiana,  including     13  captured  or  missing 133 

4Oth  Ohio,  ii         "  "       132 

22d  Michigan,      "  247        "  "       389 

8o.th  Ohio,  158       "  "      250 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  loss  of  the  H5th  of  killed  and 
wounded  far  exceeded  that  of  any  other  regiment  in  the  brig- 
ade, excepting  only  that  of  the  96th  Illinois. 

The  same  report  gives  the  loss  in  Mitchell's  brigade  at  the 
following  figures : 

78th  Illinois,     including   62  captured  or  missing 156 

g8th  Ohio,                             13         "                      "       63 

H3th  Ohio,                             12         "                      "       131 

I2ist  Ohio,                               7         "                      "       99 

While  these  reports  are  pretty  nearly  correct  in  the  aggre- 
gate of  loss,  in  most  cases  they  come  far  short  of  the  actual 
mortality.  No  examination  has  been  made  of  the  subsequent 
reports  and  records  as  to  the  other  regiments,  but  in  the  case 
of  the  1 1 5th,  which  has  been  examined  with  a  great  deal  of 
care,  it  is  found  that  the  mortality  was  about  double  the  num- 
ber stated  in  those  first  reports.  It  is  to  be  presumed  the 
same  will  be  found  to  be  true  of  the  other  regiments.  This 
is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  many  men  were  reported 
missing  who  were  in  fact  mortally  wounded  and  died  on  the 
field.  And  others  reported  wounded,  died  of  their  wounds 
within  a  short  time  after  the  battle.  Inasmuch  as  the  adju- 
tant-general's reports  for  Illinois  do  not  mention  the  wounds 
received  by  those  who  recovered  and  continued  in  the  service 
to  be  mustered  out  with  the  regiment,  the  names  of  all  the 
wounded  of  the  H5th  cannot  be  given.  However,  from  the 
various  records  and  reports,  and  from  personal  knowledge  of 
the  writer  and  entirely  reliable  information  received  from 
other  comrades,  it  is  possible  to  give  the  names  of  nearly  all  of 
our  honored  wounded.  The  list  of  killed  or  mortally 
wounded,  as  given  below,  is  taken  from  the  various  reports  on 
file  in  the  adjutant-general's  office  at  Washington,  and  from 


KILLED  AND  MORTALLY  WOUNDED. 


147 


the  adjutant-general's  reports  for  Illinois,  and  it  is  believed 
to  be  very  nearly  correct.  It  is  very  much  regretted  that  the 
names  of  all  the  wounded  cannot  be  given.  The  following  is 
the  list  of  names  as  complete  as  it  could  be  made : 

OFFICERS  KILLED  OR  MORTALLY  WOUNDED. 


Lieut. -Col.    William    Kinman. 
Capt.  S.  Barlow  Espy, 
Capt.  Stephen  M.  Huckstep, 
Second  Lieut.  David  Reed, 


Company  G. 
Company  D. 
Company  F. 


ENLISTED  MEN  KILLED  OR  MORTALLY  WOUNDED. 

Company  A:     Sergt.  Horatio  N.  Keep, 

Private  Edward  D.   Cowgill, 

Private  Vincent  Messier 

Company  B:  Sergt.  John  H.  Davis, 

Private  William  Reese, 

Private  Rand  H.  Thompson 

Company  C:  Corp.  Frederick  Gadde, 

Private  Wilber  F.  Brown, 

Private  Thomas  J.  Freeman  

Company  D :  Sergt.  Geo.  A.  Gillette, 

Private  Francis    M.    Dupee, 

Private  John  M.  Smedley, 

Private  William  A.  Smedley 

Company  E:  Sergt.  Geo.  N.  Junken, 

Corp.  James  Johnson, 

Private  Myers  J.  Ashmead, 

Private  David  T.   Clements, 

Private  Henry  J.  Ruby, 

Private  William  Rutledge, 

Private  Wm.  D.  Thompson 

Company  F:  Sergt.  Alfred  Shively, 

Corp.  Alexander  Lutrell, 

Corp.  Milton  Woollard, 

Private  Sylvester  L.  Roberts, 

Private  David  M.  Rookard 

Company  G:  Sergt.  Richard  B.  Smith, 

Private  Wm.  C.  Alexander, 

Private  William  Duncan, 

Private  George  Fancher, 

Private  Simon  A.  McNair, 

Private  Thomas  J.  Nance, 

Private  Thomas  F.   Stout, .         


148 


'    WOUNDED  OF  THE 


Company  H :     Corp.  James  P.  White, 

Private  Frank  H.  Myers, 
Private  Elmer  E.   Robinson, 
Private  John  Waldron 

Company  I:      Private  Elijah  Jackson, 

Private  Thomas    H.   Jackson, 
Private  John  T.  Slatton 

Company  K:    First  Sergt.  Ezra  M.  Aylesworth, 
Sergt.  Wm.  B.  England, 
Corp.  James  B.  Strode, 
Private  Wm.   L.  Hide.. 


Total   killed  or  mortally  wounded. 


•  4 

•  47 


OFFICERS  WOUNDED. 

Capt.  John  W.  Lapham,  Company  A. 

First  Lieut.  Jesse  Hanon,  Company  A. 

First  Lieut.  Erasmus  D.  Steen,  Company  B. 

Second  Lieut.  I.  H.  C.  Royse,  Company  E. 

Second  Lieut.  S.  K.  Hatfield,  Company  H. 

First  Lieut.   Sylvester  Bailey,  Company  K. , 


ENLISTED  MEN  WOUNDED. 

Company  A:     Sergt.  Wm.  F.  Gore, 
Corp.  Ed.  W.  Paine. 
Private  R.   S.   Allamon.. 
Private  Joshua  B.  Bankson, 
Private  James  Devine, 
Private  Joseph  Easley, 
Private  James  D.  Johnson, 
Private.  Richard    Lee, 
Private  James  McCrary, 
Private  David    Throckmorton 

Company  B:     Corp.  Leigh  R.  Lucas, 
Private  Samuel  Barrett, 
Private  Wm.  Leach,  Captured, 
Private  George  Lenover, 
Private  Joseph  Moomey,  Captured, 
Private  Solomon  Moomey, 
Private  Larkin  Moyer,  Captured. 
Private  John    Murdock, 
Private  Levi  M.  Myers, 
Private  Wm.  M.  Myers, 
Private  George  L.  Nicholas, 
Private  William  H.  Reed. 
Private  J.  C.  Stumpf.  Captured 


WOUNDED  OF  THE 


149 


Company  C:     Sergt.  John  H.  Williams, 
Sergt.  John  W.  Hill. 
Private  Seneca  W.  Crowell, 
Private  Geo.  Myers, 
Private   Thomas    Stone 

Company  D:     Sergt.  James  A.  Deal,  Captured, 
Corp.  Chas.  Barker, 
Corp.  Perry  P.  Tolle. 
Private  William  Bowman, 
Private  William  Harlow, 
Private  Humphrey  Muck, 
Private  John   Parish, 
Private  Jacob  Stoneking, 
Private  James  Thompson, 
Private  Anson   W.    Underhill 

Company  E:     Sergt.  Frederick  S.  Gilhousen, 

Sergt.   Hyman  L.  Housley,  Captured, 

Corp.  Joseph  R.  Edmonds, 

Corp.  Wm.  L.  Hurst, 

Corp.  John  T.  Stark, 

Private  Robt.   Bivans, 

Private  Chas.  M.  Breeden 

Private  John  Cummings, 

Private  John  O.  Darmer, 

Private  Wm.  F.  Elder, 

Private  Ira  Goodrich, 

Private  Americus  Graham, 

Private  Chas.  B.  Hamill, 

Private  Wm.  G.  Henry, 

Private  Bennett  Hurst, 

Private  Newton  W.  McReynolds, 

Private  Finley  Murphy, 

Private  James   Sloan 

Company  F:     Corp.  Chas.  C.  McComas, 
Muse.  Charles  Goodman, 
Private  Jacob  A.  Helms. 
Private  Cyrus  M.  Imboden, 
Private  James  Jones 

Company  G:     Corp.  Samuel  S.  Kelly, 

Corp.  Albert  R.  Thornton, 
Private  Harvey  Devore, 
Private  Wm.  J.  Freeman. 
Private  Wm.  S.  Gallaher, 
Private  Frederick  W.  Lepkey, 
Private  Wm.  R.  Pritckett, 


.18 


150 


WOUNDED  OF  THE 


Company  H : 


Company    I: 


Company  K: 


Private  John  W.  Sharrock, 

Private  Charles  Wakefield 

Corp.  Z.  C.  Patten, 
Private  Joseph  Davis, 
Private  Wm.  H.  Green, 
Private  Lewis  Johnson, 
Private  Geo.  W.  Leaser, 
Private  Valentine  Meyers,  Captured, 
Private  Philip  Polling, 
Private  Gifford  S.  Robinson,  Captured, 
Private  Wesley  Trollope, 

Private  Samuel  Sunderland 

Private  David  Angel,  Captured, 

Private  Henry  Bridgeman, 

Private  James  R.  Brown, 

Private  John  S.  Clark, 

Private  Thos.  W.  Cowand, 

Private  James  Elliott, 

Private  Benjamin  F.  Finney, 

Private  Frederick  A.  Hillig, 

Private  Samuel   P.    Metcalf,   Captured, 

Private  Henry  Telkemeyer, 

Private   Wm.    A.    Way,  Captured    

Sergt.  James  A.  Walters, 

Corp.  James  W.  Swearingen, 

Corp.  Hugh  J.  Allinson, 

Private  Jacob  A.  Allison,  Captured. 

Private  Ed.  R.  Center,  Captured, 

Private  Wm.  B.  Edens, 

Private  Geo.  W.  Goltra, 

Private  Thos.  J.  Hargis, 

Private  Michael  Megher. 

Private  James  R.  Roberts, 

Private  Henry  S.  Terrill. 

Private  William  Wells. 

Private  William  Me.  Wilson    . 


.13 


Colonel  Moore's  official  report  of  the  part  taken  by  the 
1 1 5th  in  the  Battle  of  Chickamauga,  for  some  unaccountable 
reason,  failed  to  reach  the  War  Department  until  recently,  and 
therefore  did  not  appear  in  its  proper  place  in  the  Rebellion 
Record,  Vol.  30,  Part  I.  On  observing  its  omission,  the 
author  communicated  the  fact  to  the  colonel's  family,  who 
made  search  among  his  war  papers  and  found  the  original  draft 


SERGT.  A.  B.  LEEPER. 

COMPANY  B. 
WITH  His  CHICKAMAUGUA  RELICS. 


COLONEL  MOORE'S  REPORT.  151 

of  the  report.  This  was  forwarded  to  the  record  division  of 
the  War  Department  and  it  has  since  been  published  in  a  sup- 
plemental volume,  entitled  Chapter  64,  Part  I,  at  page  81.  It 
is  herewith  given  in  full. 

Headquarters  H5th  Regiment  111.  Vol.  Inf. 
Camp  near  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  Sept.  27,  1863. 
Acting  Assistant  Adjutant-General,  First  Brigade,  First  Di- 
vision. Reserve  Corps,  Army  of  the  Cumberland. 
Sir: — In  compliance  with  orders,  I  have  the  honor  of  sub- 
mitting my  official  report  of  the  part  my  command  took  in 
the  engagement  of  Saturday,  September  ipth,  near  McAfee's 
church,  on  the  Ringgold  road,  southeast  of  Chattanooga,  and 
also  in  that  of  Sunday,  September  2Oth,  on  the  La  Fayette  road 
in  the  Chickamauga  Valley. 

On  the  1 8th  of  September  we  moved  out  from  Rossville 
with  first  brigade  of  first  division,  reserve  corps,  Brig.-Gen. 
W.  C.  Whitaker  commanding.  The  command  had  moved 
only  about  two  and  one-half  or  three  miles  on  the  Ringgold 
road  when  it  was  fired  upon  by  the  pickets  of  the  enemy. 
Soon  after,  the  column  still  advancing,  a  brisk  little  engage- 
ment ensued  participated  in  chiefly  by  the  96th  Illinois  In- 
fantry and  a  portion  of  the  i8th  Ohio  Battery,  which,  how- 
ever, soon  ended  in  consequence  of  the  darkness  of  the  night 
setting  in.  Meantime  the  head  of  my  column  having  ap- 
proached the  ford  of  a  small  stream,  the  regiment  was  halted, 
and  in  compliance  with  orders,  formed  a  line  of  battle  on  the 
left  of  the  road,  the  right  resting  on  the  road  so  as  to  cover 
the  ford,  the  left  by  a  deployment,  reaching  one-fourth  of  a 
mile  to  another  road,  to  prevent  a  flank  movement  by  the 
enemy.  Here  my  command  bivouaced  for  the  night  undis- 
turbed. A  little  before  dawn  of  the  following  day,  I  was  or- 
dered to  fall  back  about  one  half  a  mile,  which  I  did  in  good 
order. 

On  the  afternoon  of  Saturday,  the  I9th  inst.,  the  4Oth  Ohio 
and  84th  Indiana,  with  a  section  of  the  i8th  Ohio  Battery 
became  engaged  with  the  enemy  upon  or  near  the  ground 
occupied  the  previous  evening.  My  regiment  was  ordered 


152  COLONEL  MOORE'S  REPORT. 

to  advance  to  the  support  of  the  4Oth  Ohio  Volunteers,  which 
was  being  hard  pressed  by  the  enemy  advancing  in  force.  I 
moved  rapidly  down  the  road,  and  fortunately  reached  the 
scene  of  action  in  time  to  form  line  of  battle,  cover  the  re- 
treat of  the  4Oth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry  and  check  the  ad- 
vancing foe.  Here  the  engagement  was  quite  spirited,  but 
short,  the  enemy  falling  back  almost  as  soon  as  my  command 
opened  upon  him.  Knowing  that  he  was  in  force,  and 
suspecting  a  flank  movement,  I  fell  back  some  30  yards,  and 
commanded  my  men  to  lie  down  and  wait  until  we  could 
more  perfectly  discover  the  designs  of  the  enemy.  Here  I 
received  orders  to  fall  back.  I  brought  my  men  off  the  field 
in  unbroken  line  of  battle,  and  took  position  nearly  on  the 
same  ground  occupied  before  making  the  charge.  In  this 
engagement  my  command  behaved  nobly.  Here  ended  our 
labors  for  that  day.  I  lost  four  men  wounded  and  one  cap- 
tured, in  consequence  of  remaining  behind  with  his  wounded 
brother.  All  the  wounded  were  brought  into  camp  and  prop- 
erly provided  for. 

On  the  morning  of  the  2Oth  inst.  my  regiment  was  placed 
in  front  and  on  the  extreme  right  of  all  the  forces  in  the 
vicinity  of  McAfee's  church,  now  increased  by  the  arrival  of 
the  second  brigade,  first  division,  with  the  22d  Michigan  and 
Sgth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  second  brigade,  second 
division,  reserve  corps,  all  under  the  command  of  Brigadier- 
General  Steedman,  and  were  waiting  an  expected  attack  of 
the  enemy.  About  n  a.  m.,  however,  this  whole  force  was 
ordered  toward  the  La  Fayette  road  to  reenforce  the  I4th 
army  corps,  which,  with  detachments  of  2Oth  and  2ist  corps, 
was  being  hard  pressed  by  the  enemy,  who  had  massed  his 
forces  on  either  side  of  the  La  Fayette  road  in  front  of  Gen- 
eral Thomas.  The  available  force  of  the  reserve  corps  moved 
off  in  fine  order  and  in  excellent  spirits  at  quick  time  and 
eager  to  engage  the  enemy.  Arriving  on  the  contested 
ground,  it  was  ascertained  that  a  heavy  force  was  forming  on 
the  extreme  right  of  General  Thomas  with  a  view  of  turning 
his  right  and  cutting  him  off  from  Chattanooga.  With  sin- 
gular skill  and  precision,  the  first  division,  reserve  corps,  un- 


COLONEL  MOORE'S  REPORT.  153 

der  command  of  General  Steedman,  was  thrown  upon  the 
extreme  right  just  at  the  time  and  on  the  precise  ground 
where  most  needed.  In  passing  to  this  position  along  an 
open  field,  our  forces  were  subjected  to  a  heavy  cross  fire 
from  a  battery  on  our  left,  east  of  the  La  Fayette  road.  Here 
fell  Capt.  S.  M.  Huckstep  of  Company  D,  severely  wounded 
in  the  thigh.  My  orderly  riding  near  me  was  also  wounded, 
and  a  private  of  Company  A.  From  this  position  so  oppor- 
tunely chosen,  the  whole  division  simultaneously  charged  the 
rebel  lines  and  handsomely  drove  the  enemy  from  the  con- 
tiguous hills.  My  regiment  moved  forward  on  the  front  line 
of  battle  with  the  p6th  Illinois  Infantry  on  my  right  and  the 
22d  Michigan  on  my  left.  In  this  first  charge  my  regiment 
suffered  severely,  both  in  killed  and  wounded.  Here  fell 
Lieut.-Col.  William  Kinman,  a  brave  and  gallant  officer,  calm- 
ly and  fearlessly  cheering  on  the  battle.  Being  hard  pressed 
and  much  fatigued  in  connection  with  the  front  line,  I  caused 
my  regiment  to  fall  back  and  again  form  in  the  rear  of  the 
second  line.  This  done,  I  again  charged  to  the  crest  of  the 
hill.  The  second  line  fell  back  and  reformed,  and  again 
charged  up  the  hill,  but  farther  to  the  right,  as  the  enemy 
persisted  in  attempting  to  turn  our  right  flank.  In  this  charge 
my  command  suffered  more  severely  than  at  any  other  period 
during  the  conflict,  but  my  men  fought  the  more  stubbornly 
and  persistently  until  their  ammunition  was  exhausted.  They 
then  sought  the  cartridges  of  the  wounded  and  dead,  and  con- 
tinued to  hold  their  position  on  the  hill  till  ordered  to  retire 
The  enemy,  however,  was  too  severely  punished  to  venture 
anything  like  a  forward  movement.  I  have  to  say  that  the 
officers  and  men  under  my  command  behaved  most  gallantly. 
My  aggregate  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  and  missing  is  168. 
The  missing,  with  the  exception  of  two  or  three,  are  supposed 
to  be  killed.  The  engagement  in  which  my  command  partici- 
pated on  Sunday,  the  2Oth  inst.,  commenced  about  twenty 
minutes  past  one  in  the  afternoon  and  continued  until  after 
sunset,  during  all  which  time  my  men  were  under  fire,  with 
the  exception  of  short  intervals  occupied  in  changing  posi- 


154  GENERAL  WHITAKER'S  REPORT. 

tions.     I  wish  in  conclusion  to  state  that  the  conduct  of  the 
general  officers  in  command  was  in  the  highest  sense  heroic. 
Herewith  find  a  list  of  commissioned    officers    killed  and 
wounded : 

Killed : 

Lieut. -Col.  William  Kinman. 

Capt.  Stephen  B.  Espy  (on  staff  of  Gen.  Whitaker),  Com- 
pany G. 

Wounded : 

First  Lieut.  Jesse  Hanon  (on  staff  of  Gen.  Whitaker),  Com- 
pany A. 

First  Lieut.  E.  D.  Steen,  Company  B. 

Capt.  Stephen  M.  Huckstep,  Company  D. 

Second  Lieut.  I.  H.  C.  Royse,  Company  E. 

Second  Lieut.  David  Reed,  Company  F. 

Second  Lieut.  Stephen  K.  Hatfield,  Company  H. 

First  Lieut.  Sylvester  Bailey,  Company  K. 

The  number  of  enlisted  men  in  action  on  the  iQth  and  2Oth 
was  390  to  400 ;  of  officers,  field,  staff  and  line,  27. 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JESSE  H.  MOORE. 
Colonel  Commanding  H5th  111.  Vol.  Inf. 

The  following  extract  is  from  the  official  report  of  Brig.- 
Gen.  W.  C.  Whitaker,  commanding  .the  brigade : 

"On  the  morning  of  the  2Oth  (Sunday),  General  Granger 
visited  the  command.  About  nine  o'clock  firing  was  heard 
in  the  direction  of  Crawfish  Springs,  on  the  Chickamauga. 
About  ten  o'clock  the  firing  of  cannon  and  musketry  took 
such  direction  as  to  force  us  to  the  conclusion  that  our  forces 
were  being  driven. 

"Orders  were  given  to  me  to  march  my  brigade,  and  the  22d 
Michigan  and  89th  Ohio,  which  were  then  attached  to  my 
command  for  the  day,  to  the  aid  of  General  Thomas,  on  the 
Chickamauga  near  Crawfish  Springs.  With  alacrity  and  en- 
thusiasm the  men  marched  under  a  hot  sun,  and  through 
clouds  of  dust  up  the  La  Fayette  road,  until  they  found  the 
rebel  mounted  infantry  drawn  up  in  line  of  battle  to  intercept 


GENERAL  WHITAKER'S  REPORT.  155 

our  progress.  They  had  already  reached  the  rear  of  General 
Thomas'  command  and  had  possession  of  the  field  hospital, 
which  they  had  most  inhumanly  shelled  when  filled  with  our 
wounded,  killing  my  personal  friend,  the  gallant  Dick  Rock- 
ingham  (lieutenant-colonel  of  my  brave  old  regiment,  the  6th 
Kentucky  Infantry),  who  was  lying  in  it  wounded. 

"Line  of  battle  being  formed  by  us,  and  advancing,  the 
enemy  retreated.  My  command  was  then  moved  by  the  flank 
in  two  lines,  three  regiments  in  the  first  and  three  in  the  sec- 
ond line,  at  nearly  double  quick  time,  up  the  valley  for  near  a 
mile,  under  a  heavy  fire  of  shell  from  a  rebel  battery.  Several 
were  killed  and  wounded. 

"Arriving  between  12  and  I  p.  m.  at  the  point  occupied  by 
General  Thomas,  we  found  him  sorely  pressed,  and  yielding 
stubbornly  to  superior  numbers.  I  was  directed  to  drive  the 
enemy  from  a  ridge  on  which  he  had  concentrated  his  forces 
in  great  numbers,  supported  by  artillery,  and  was  seriously 
threatening  the  destruction  of  our  right  by  a  flank  movement, 
forming  my  command  in  two  lines,  the  96th  Illinois  on  the 
right,  the  H5th  Illinois  in  the  center,  the  22d  Michigan  on 
the  left  of  the  first  line ;  the  4Oth  Ohio  on  the  right,  the  84th 
Indiana  in  the  center,  and  the  Spth  Ohio  on  the  left  of  the 
second  line. 

"Both  lines  advanced  at  a  double  quick  pace  against  the 
enemy.  The  conflict  was  terrific.  The  enemy  was  driven  near 
half  a  mile.  Rallying,  he  drove  my  command  a  short  dis- 
tance, when  he  in  turn  was  driven  again  with  great  loss. 
Both  lines  had  been  thrown  into  the  conflict  on  the  second 
charge,  and  the  whole  line  kept  up  a  deadly  and  well  directed 
fire  upon  the  enemy,  who  fought  with  great  determination  and 
vigor.  The  96th  Illinois,  Colonel  Champion,  fought  with  bold 
impetuosity,  efficiency  and  gallantry.  The  22d  Michigan, 
Colonel  Le  Favour,  after  fighting  for  near  three  hours,  having 
exhausted  their  ammunition,  boldly  charged  into  the  midst 
of  overwhelming  numbers  with  the  bayonet,  driving  them 
until  overcome  by  superior  strength.  The  H5th  Illinois, 
Colonel  Moore,  deserves  notice  for  its  courage  and  bearing. 
The  entire  command  bore  themselves  like  veterans,  under  a 


156  GENERAL  STEEDMAN'S  REPORT. 

most  withering,  murderous  fire  of  musketry,  grape  and  can- 
ister for  over  three  hours,  firmly  maintaining  their  ground  until 
we  were  directed  to  retire,  which  was  done  in  fair  order,  the 
enemy  retiring  also  at  the  same  time. 

"My  command  has  the  honor  of  bringing  from  that  gory 
field  the  flags  of  our  brave  corps  commander  and  of  our  gal- 
lant division  commander,  all  proudly  floating  by  that  of  the 
First  Brigade.  Our  loss  was  heavy.  It  could  not  be  other- 
wise. We  fought,  as  I  have  been  informed  by  prisoners,  three 
divisions  of  the  enemy,  two  of  which  were  from  Longstreet's 
corps.  They  fought  like  tigers,  and  with  a  zeal  and  energy 
worthy  of  a  better  cause." 

An  extract  from  the  report  of  Brig. -Gen.  J.  B.  Steedman, 
commanding  the  division,  and  one  from  the  report  of  Maj.- 
Gen.  Gordon  Granger,  commanding  the  corps,  will  also  throw 
light  on  the  struggle  in  which  the  H5th  took  such  a  gallant 
part. 

From  the  report  of  General  Steedman : 

"On  the  morning  of  the  2Oth,  McCook's  brigade  was  or- 
dered on  to  the  road  leading  from  the  Ringgold  road  to  Dyer's 
Mill.  At  half-past  eleven  o'clock,  General  Granger  becoming 
satisfied,  from  the  heavy  and  receding  sounds  of  artillery,  that 
the  enemy  was  pressing  the  left  of  our  line  severely,  ordered 
me  to  move  to  the  battle-field  as  rapidly  as  possible  with  two 
brigades  of  my  command,  General  Whitaker's  and  Colonel 
Mitchell's.  I  moved  at  once,  and  after  marching  five  miles, 
with  the  enemy's  cavalry  on  my  left  flank,  and  shelling  my 
troops  for  two  miles  of  the  distance,  Major-General  Granger 
ordered  me  to  move  to  the  right  of  General  Brannan's  division, 
which  order  was  promptly  executed,  and  the  moment  my 
troops  were  in  position  they  moved  on  the  enemy,  and  after 
a  severe  fight  of  about  twenty-five  minutes  the  enemy  was 
driven  from  his  position,  and  my  troops  occupied  the  ridge 
from  which  they  had  forced  the  enemy.  Slight  skirmishing 
was  kept  up  for  about  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  when  the 
enemy  attacked  us  furiously,  and  after  severe  fighting  for 
about  half  an  hour  we  repulsed  him,  but  in  a  few  moments  he 
renewed  the  attack  with  increased  vigor,  and  was  again  re- 


CAPT.  ZEBOIM  CARTTER  PATTEN. 
CORPORAL  COMPANY  H. 


GENERAL  GRANGER'S  REPORT.         157 

pulsed.  Determined  to  get  possession  of  the  ridge,  he  imme- 
diately attacked  us  again,  and  for  about  one  hour  fought  des- 
perately, my  troops  maintaining  their  position  against  supe- 
rior numbers  until  six  o'clock,  when,  having  expended  our 
ammunition  (the  extra  ammunition  which  I  had  with  my  com- 
mand— 95,000  rounds — having  been  taken  to  supply  General 
Brannan's  troops,  who  were  out),  my  troops  fell  back,  under 
orders,  slowly  and  in  good  order.  After  retiring  to  the  second 
ridge  in  the  rear  of  the  one  on  which  they  had  fought,  and 
resting  half  an  hour,  rinding  the  enemy  did  not  attempt  pur- 
suit— all  firing  having  ceased  on  both  sides — they  retired 
under  orders  to  Rossville,  and  occupied  their  former  camp." 

From  the  report  of  General  Granger: 

"At  about  i  p.  m.  I  reported  to  General  Thomas.  His 
forces  were  at  that  time  stationed  upon  the  brow  of  and  hold- 
ing a  'horseshoe  ridge.'  The  enemy  was  pressing  him  hard  in 
front  and  endeavoring  to  turn  both  his  flanks.  To  the  right 
of  this  position  was  a  ridge  running  east  and  west,  and  nearly 
at  right  angles  therewith.  Upon  this  the  enemy  was  just 
forming.  He  also  had  possession  of  a  gorge  in  the  same, 
through  which  his  men  were  rapidly  moving  in  large  masses, 
with  the  design  of  falling  upon  the  right  flank  and  rear  of  the 
forces  upon  the  Horseshoe  Ridge.  General  Thomas  had  not 
the  troops  to  oppose  this  movement  of  the  enemy,  and  in  fif- 
teen minutes  from  the  time  when  we  appeared  on  the  field, 
had  it  not  been  for  our  fortunate  arrival,  his  forces  would  have 
been  terribly  cut  up  and  captured.  As  rapidly  as  possible  I 
formed  General  Whitaker's  and  Colonel  Mitchell's  brigades, 
to  hurl  them  against  this  threatening  force  of  the  enemy, 
which  proved  to  be  General  Hindman's  division. 

"The  gallant  Steedman,  seizing  the  colors  of  a  regiment, 
led  his  men  to  the  attack.  With  loud  cheers  they  rushed  upon 
the  enemy,  and,  after  a  terrific  conflict  lasting  but  twenty  min- 
utes, drove  him  from  his  ground,  and  occupied  the  ridge 
and  gorge.  The  slaughter  of  both  friend  and  foe  was  frightful. 
General  Whitaker,  while  rushing  forward  at  the  head  of  his 
brigade,  was  knocked  from  his  horse  by  a  musket-ball,  and 
was  for  a  short  time  rendered  unfit  for  duty ;  while  two  of 


158         GENERAL  GRANGER'S  REPORT. 

his  staff  officers  were  killed,  and  two  mortally  wounded.  Gen- 
eral Steedman's  horse  was  killed,  and  he  was  severely  bruised, 
yet  he  was  able  to  remain  on  duty  during  the  day.  This  at- 
tack was  made  by  our  troops,  very  few  of  whom  had  ever  been 
in  action  before,  against  a  division  of  old  soldiers,  who 
largely  outnumbered  them ;  yet  with  resolution  and  energy 
they  drove  the  enemy  from  his  strong  position,  occupied  it 
themselves,  and  afterwards  held  the  ground  they  had  gained 
with  such  terrific  losses.  The  victory  was  dearly  won,  but 
to  this  army  it  was  a  priceless  one.  There  was  now  a  lull  in 
the  battle.  It  was  of  short  duration,  however,  for  within 
thirty  minutes  after  we  had  gained  possession  of  the  ridge, 
we  were  impetuously  attacked  by  two  divisions  of  Long- 
street's  veterans.  Again  the  enemy  was  driven  back,  and  from 
this  time  until  dark  the  battle  between  these  two  opposing 
forces  raged  furiously.  Our  whole  -line  was  continually  envel- 
oped in  smoke  and  fire.  The  assaults  of  the  enemy  were  now 
made  with  that  energy  which  was  inspired  by  the  bright  pros- 
pect of  a  speedy  victory,  and  by  a  consciousness  that  it  was 
only  necessary  to  carry  this  position  and  crush  our  forces 
to  enable  him  to  overthrow  our  army,  and  drive  it  across  the 
Tennessee  River.  His  forces  were  massed  and  hurled  upon 
us,  for  the  purpose  of  terminating  at  once  this  great  and  bloody 
battle.  But  the  stout  hearts  of  the  handful  of  men  who  stood 
before  them  as  a  wall  of  fire,  quailed  not.  They  understood 
our  perilous  position  and  held  their  ground,  determined  to 
perish  rather  than  yield  it.  Never  had  a  commander  such  just 
cause  for  congratulation  over  the  action  of  his  troops. 

"The  commanding  officers  of  all  my  regiments,  with  but 
one  exception,  and  of  all  of  my  batteries,  behaved  nobly.  Be- 
low I  give  a  list  of  those  most  conspicuous  for  efficiency  and 
bravery,  and  deserving  special  mention :  Colonel  Champion, 
96th  Illinois  Infantry;  Colonel  Moore,  H5th  Illinois  Infan- 
try; Colonel  Le  Favour,  22d  Michigan  Infantry;  Colonel 
Carlton,  8gth  Ohio  Infantry;  Colonel  Banning,  I2ist  Ohio  In- 
fantry; Lieut.-Col.  Carter  Van  Vleck,  78th  Illinois  Infantry; 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Warner,  ii3th  Ohio  Infantry;  Major 
Broaddus,  78th  Illinois  Infantry  (killed);  Major  Yager,  I2ist 


GENERAL  THOMAS'  REPORT.  159 

Ohio  Infantry ;  Lieutenant-Colonel  Sanborn,  22d  Michigan 
Infantry  (wounded);  Captain  Urquhart,  commanding  98th 
Ohio  Infantry  (wounded) ;  Captain  Thomas,  who  succeeded 
to  the  command  of  the  98th  Ohio  Infantry,  and  who  was  killed ; 
Captain  Espy  (acting),  commissary  of  subsistence,  first  brig- 
ade, first  division,  reserve  corps,  killed ;  Captain  Hicks,  96th 
Illinois;  Adjutant  Hamilton,  H3th  Ohio  Infantry,  and  Cap- 
tain Moe,  assistant  adjutant-general ;  Major  Smith,  Lieutenant 
Blandin  and  Captain  Hays,  all  on  Brigadier-General  Steed- 
man's  staff." 

The  following  from  the  report  of  Major-General  Thomas, 
commanding  the  left  wing,  and  from  the  report  of  Major-Gen- 
eral  Rosecrans,  commanding  the  department,  will  also  help 
the  reader  to  understand  the  character  of  that  contest. 

From  the  report  of  General  Thomas : 

"About  the  time  that  Wood  took  up  his  position  (on  the 
brow  of  Snodgrass  Hill),  General  Gordon  Granger  appeared 
on  my  left  flank  at  the  head  of  Steedman's  division  of  his  corps. 
I  immediately  dispatched  a  staff  officer,  Captain  Johnson,  2d 
Indiana  Cavalry,  of  Negley's  division,  to  him  with  orders  to 
push  forward  and  take  position  on  Brannan's  right,  which  or- 
der was  complied  with  with  the  greatest  promptness  and  alac- 
rity. Steedman,  moving  his  division  into  position  with  almost 
as  much  precision  as  if  on  drill,  and  fighting  his  way  to  the 
crest  of  the  hill  on  Brannan's  right,  moved  forward  his  artillery 
and  drove  the  enemy  down  the  southern  slope,  inflicting  on 
him  a  most  terrible  loss  in  killed  and  wounded.  This  oppor- 
tune arrival  of  fresh  troops  revived  the  flagging  spirits  of  our 
men  on  the  right,  and  inspired  them  with  new  ardor  for  the 
contest.  Every  assault  of  the  enemy  from  that  time  until 
nightfall  was  repulsed  in  the  most  gallant  style  by  the  whole 
line. 

"By  this  time  the  ammunition  in  the  boxes  of  the  men  was 
reduced,  on  an  average,  to  two  or  three  rounds  per  man,  and 
my  ammunition  trains  having  been  unfortunately  ordered  to 
the  rear  by  some  unauthorized  person,  we  should  have  been 
entirely  without  ammunition  in  a  very  short  time  had  not  a 
small  supply  came  up  with  General  Steedman's  command. 


160  GENERAL  ROSECRANS'   REPORT. 

This,  being  distributed  among  the  troops,  gave  them  about  ten 
rounds  per  man. 

"General  Garfield,  chief  of  staff  of  General  Rosecrans, 
reached  this  position  about  4  p.  m.,  in  company  with  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Thruston,  of  McCook's  staff,  and  Captains  Gaw 
and  Barker,  of  my  staff,  who  had  been  sent  to  the  rear  to  bring 
back  the  ammunition,  if  possible.  General  Garfield  gave  me 
the  first  reliable  information  that  the  right  and  center  of  our 
army  had  been  driven,  and  of  its  condition  at  that  time.  I 
.  soon  after  received  a  dispatch  from  General  Rosecrans,  direct- 
ing me  to  assume  command  of  all  the  forces,  and,  with  Cnt- 
tenden  and  McCook,  take  a  strong  position  and  assume  a 
threatening  attitude  at  Rossville,  sending  the  unorganized 
forces  to  Chattanooga  for  reorganization,  stating  that  he 
would  examine  the  ground  at  Chattanooga,  and  then  join  me ; 
also  that  he  had  sent  out  rations  and  ammunition  to  meet  me 
at  Rossville." 

From  the  report  of  General  Rosecrans : 

Describing  the  contest  on  Snodgrass  Ridge,  the  general 
says :  "Then  the  enemy  in  overpowering  numbers  flowed 
around  our  right,  held  by  General  Brannan,  and  occupied  a 
low  gap  in  the  ridge  of  our  defensive  position,  which  com- 
manded our  rear.  The  moment  was  critical.  Twenty  minutes 
more  and  our  right  would  have  been  turned,  our  position  taken 
in  reverse,  and  probably  the  army  routed.  Fortunately  Major- 
General'  Granger,  whose  troops  had  been  posted  to  cover  our 
left  and  rear,  with  the  instinct  of  a  true  soldier  and  a  general, 
hearing  the  roar  of  battle  on  our  left,  and  being  beyond  the 
reach  of  orders  from  the  general  commanding,  determined  to 
move  to  its  assistance.  He  advanced  and  soon  encountered  the 
enemy's  skirmishers,  whom  he  disregarded,  well  knowing  that, 
at  that  stage  of  the  conflict,  the  battle  was  not  there.  Posting 
Col.  Daniel  McCook's  brigade  to  take  care  of  anything  in  the 
vicinity  and  beyond  the  left  of  our  line,  he  moved  the  remain- 
der to  the  scene  of  action,  reporting  to  General  Thomas,  who 
directed  him  to  our  suffering  right. 

"Arriving  in  sight,  General  Granger  discovered  at  once  the 
peril  and  the  point  of  danger — the  gap.  Quick  as  thought  he 


GENERAL  ROSECRANS'   REPORT.  161 

directed  his  advance  brigade  upon  the  enemy.  General  Steed- 
man,  taking  a  regimental  color,  led  the  column.  Swift  was  the 
charge  and  terrible  the  conflict,  but  the  enemy  was  broken.  A 
thousand  of  our  brave  men,  killed  and  wounded,  paid  for  its 
possession,  but  we  held  the  gap. 

"Two  divisions  of  Longstreet's  corps  confronted  the  posi- 
tion. Determined  to  take  it  they  successively  came  to  the 
assault.  A  battery  of  six  guns  placed  in  the  gorge  poured 
death  and  slaughter  into  them.  They  charged  to  within  a  few 
yards  of  the  pieces,  but  our  grape  and  canister  and  the  leaden 
hail  of  our  musketry,  delivered  in  sparing  but, terrible  volleys 
from  cartridges  taken  in  many  instances  from  the  boxes  of 
their  fallen  companions,  was  too  much  even  for  Longstreet's 
men.  About  sunset  they  made  their  last  charge  when  our 
men,  being  out  of  ammunition,  rushed  on  them  with  bayonet, 
and  they  gave  way  to  return  no  more.  The  fury  of  the  con- 
flict was  nearly  as  great  on  the  fronts  of  Brannan  and  Wood, 
being  less  furious  toward  the  left." 


CHAPTER  XII. 


AFTER  THE  BATTLE. 

The  battle  of  Chickamauga  is  remarkable  quite  as  much 
for  what  it  might  have  been  as  for  what  it  was.  General  Rose- 
crans'  plan  to  flank  Bragg  out  of  Chattanooga  was  doubtless  a 
wise  one ;  on  the  contrary,  the  assumption  that  Bragg  was 
in  full  retreat  upon  Atlanta,  and  the  scattering  of  his  forces 
over  50  or  60  miles  from  Chattanooga  to  Broomtown  Valley 
while  his  enemy  was  in  fact  well  concentrated  in  the  valley 
near  La  Fayette,  was  little  less  than  a  blunder.  Bragg's  wis- 
dom was  shown  in  keeping  his  army  well  in  hand ;  his  folly, 
in  neglecting  so  excellent  an  opportunity  as  Rosecrans'  ex- 
tended lines  gave  him  to  attack  and  destroy  his  enemy  in 
detail.  His  weakness  was  the  inability  to  have  his  orders  for 
attack  carried  out  by  his  corps  commanders,  while  Rosecrans 
was  making  frantic  efforts  to  bring  the  scattered  divisions  of 
the  Union  army  together.  Rosecrans  is  entitled  to  credit  for 
being  able  to  concentrate  his  forces  in  the  face  of  such  an  en- 
emy. Rosecrans  planned  well  to  get  Bragg  out  of  Chatta- 
nooga, but  when  confronted  by  a  powerful  enemy  in  Chicka- 
mauga Valley  had  no  scheme  of  battle ;  he  seems  to  have  had 
no  plan  except  to  try  to  keep  his  forces  between  Bragg  and 
Chattanooga.  Bragg  had  a  definite  plan  of  battle ;  he  sup- 
posed Rosecrans'  left  to  be  at  or  above  Lee  &  Gordon's  Mills, 
and  his  idea  was  to  cross  the  Chickamauga  a  mile  or  two 
farther  down,  and  by  successive  attacks  on  Rosecrans'  left 
flank,  double  the  Union  army  back  and  take  a  strong  position 
between  it  and  Chattanooga.  Bragg  was  surprised  at  the 
attack  on  his  cavalry  far  to  his  right  by  Baird's  and  Brannan's 
divisions  on  Saturday  morning,  and  was  so  disconcerted  by 
it  that  he  permitted  Cheatham's  division  and  Hood's  and  Buck- 
ner's  corps  to  lie  idle  all  Saturday  forenoon,  while  there  was 


COMMENTS  ON  THE  BATTLE.  163 

a  gap  two  and  a  half  miles  wide  in  the  Union  forces  in  their 
front.  A  reconnaissance  in  force  by  Johnson's  division  to- 
wards Viniard's  and  Brotherton's  would  have  shown  Bragg 
his  opportunity.  This,  followed  by  a  vigorous  attack  on  Crit- 
tenden's  corps  to  their  left  by  Buckner's  corps  and  on  Baird 
and  Brannan  to  their  right  by  Cheatham's  division  would  have 
routed  Rosecraris'  army  Saturday  forenoon.  We  have  seen 
how  a  much  smaller  gap  accidentally  made  in  the  Union  lines 
at  the  same  place  on  Sunday  morning  resulted  in  the  com- 
plete rout  of  the  Union  right,  not  because  Bragg  or  his  gen- 
erals knew  about  it,  but  by  reason  of  the  coincidence  that 
Longstreet  was  at  that  moment  making  an  attack  upon  what 
he  supposed  a  solid  line  of  battle,  instead  of  the  gap  left  for  him 
by  General  Wood.  Another  lost  opportunity  for  Bragg  was 
the  gap  of  a  half  mile  in  width  between  Reynolds'  right  and 
W'ood's  left,  which  remained  all  Sunday  afternoon  because 
Thomas  had  no  troops  to  fill  it — simply  ready  for  the  Confed- 
erates to  walk  through  and  apparently  an  invitation  for  them 
to  attack  Thomas'  corps  in  the  rear.  Stewart's  division  spent 
most  of  the  afternoon  in  front  of  that  harmless  gap,  entirely 
ignorant  of  its  existence.  That  weak  spot  in  the  Union  lines 
was  not  molested  while  Longstreet's  dozen  brigades  were 
assaulting  Snodgrass  Ridge  and  being  so  repeatedly  driven  to 
its  base.  Thus  the  ignorance  of  the  Confederates  as  to  the 
Union  position,  bad  generalship  on  their  part  and  the  good 
luck  of  the  Union  army  saved  it  from  destruction  on  several 
occasions.  Bad  luck  on  our  side  rather  than  good  generalship 
on  the  part  of  the  Confederates,  turned  the  Union  right. 
Again  our  good  fortune  was  shown  in  the  arrival  of  Steedman's 
division  at  the  moment  when  Bushrod  Johnson  and  Hindman 
were  moving  over  Snodgrass  Ridge  to  attack  Brannan  in 
the  rear. 

We  have  seen  that  at  that  hour,  i  p.  m.,  there  were  no  Union 
troops  remaining  on  Snodgrass  Ridge  anywhere  to  the  south 
or  west  of  the  high  spur  on  which  the  observation  tower  now 
stands.  General  Negley's  division,  the  last  previously  there, 
had  gone  to  Rossville,  Van  Derveer's  brigade  did  not  reach 
Brannan  till  about  two  hours  later.  General  Brannan  was 


164  COMMENTS  ON  THE  BATTLE. 

occupying  that  northeastern  spur  of  the  ridge  with  fragments 
of  many  regiments  of  different  commands,  numbering  scarcely 
1,500,  while  his  only  other  supports  were  Stanley's  and  Mark- 
er's depleted  brigades,  extending  down  the  slope  past  the 
Snodgrass  house,  numbering  not  more  than  2,000  men.  With 
this  small  force  Brannan  and  Wood  would  have  been  at  the 
mercy  of  Bushrod  Johnson's  and  Hindman's  eight  or  nine 
brigades  then  greatly  elated  at  their  victory  over  the  Union 
right.  Attacked  in  both  front  and  rear  with  such  overpowering 
numbers,  the  force  then  holding  Snodgrass  Hill  would  soon 
have  been  routed  or  captured ;  then  the  exultant  foe  could 
easily  have  turned  eastward  and  taken  Thomas'  four  divisions 
in  the  rear,  while  Polk  was  pressing  them  in  front.  It  was 
indeed  a  critical  situation.  The  whole  army  was  in  the  great- 
est peril.  General  Thomas  was  still  unaware  of  the  fate  of  our 
right  wing.  He  knew  of  the  gap  between  Wood  and  Rey- 
nolds, and  was  anxious  to  fill  it.  The  Confederates  were  be- 
ginning their  assaults  on  the  front  of  Brannan  and  Wood. 
Just  then  a  cloud  of  dust  is  seen  to  the  north.  First  anxiety 
as  to  whether  the  column  approaching  is  friend  or  enemy,  then 
joy  at  the  sight  of  our  two  full  brigades,  and  the  general  hast- 
ened to  direct  us  to  what  seemed  the  most  needed  place — the 
gap  to  the  left  of  Wood's  division.  But  before  the  movement 
was  more  than  directed,  the  appalling  danger  on  the  right 
began  to  be  seen.  Quickly  the  order  was  changed,  and  Steed- 
man's  division  was  in  its  deadly  conflict  on  the  ridge  to  Bran- 
nan's  right.  It  is  generally  conceded  that  Steedman's  division 
saved  the  day  to  the  Union  Army.  If  General  Thomas  was  the 
"Rock  of  Chickamauga,"  Steedman's  division  was  the  granite 
base  that  supported  the  rock.  Without  in  the  least  detracting 
from  the  glorious  record  of  splendid  fighting  by  other  com- 
mands, it  is  but  just  to  say  that  by  far  the  most  deadly  conflict 
of  the  battle,  if  not  of  the  entire  civil  war,  was  on  Snodgrass 
Ridge  that  Sunday  afternoon.  The  front  of  Whitaker's  brigade 
was  the  center  of  that  conflict,  and  when  it  is  remembered 
that  the  H5th  was  in  the  center  of  Whitaker's  front  line,  and 
remained  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight  until  the  close  of  the 
battle,  it  will  be  seen  how  important  a  part  our  regiment  took 


COMMENTS  ON  THE  BATTLE.  165 

in  the  battle.  So  well  was  this  recognized  at  the  time,  that 
General  Steedman  on  the  following  morning  delivered  his  di- 
vision colors  to  the  ii5th,  to  be  carried  for  the  day  as  a  mark 
of  honor.  With  this  record,  the  survivors  of  the  H5th  may  be 
excused  for  taking  pride  in  the  achievements  of  their  regiment 
in  that  memorable  battle. 

The  time  when  Whitaker's  brigade  entered  the  battle  has 
been  a  matter  of  some  controversy.  Some  official  reports 
place  it  as  late  as  3  p.  m.,  and  that  hour  is  implied  from  Rose- 
crans'  report ;  Brannan  puts  it  at  3 130  p.  m. ;  Wood  says 
"between  two  and  three  o'clock ;"  but  Thomas  says  it  was 
immediately  after  Wood  took  position  on  the  ridge,  and  Wood 
states  that  was  at  i  p.  m.  Several  Confederate  reports  speak  of 
Granger's  arrival  as  late  in  the  afternoon,  but  they  give  an 
account  of  several  hours'  terrific  fighting  on  that  part  of  Snod- 
grass  Ridge,  immediately  north  of  the  Vittetoe  place,  before 
the  arrival  of  Granger's  corps.  We  have  seen  that  was  im- 
possible, because  there  were  no  Union  troops  on  that  part  of 
the  ridge  after  Negley's  retreat  until  our  two  brigades  occu- 
pied it.  It  was  our  two  brigades  that  put  up  such  a  terrible 
fight  for  them.  What  they  supposed  to  be  reenforcements  of 
fresh  troops  was  doubtless  our  second  charge. 

It  is  conceded  the  break  at  Brotherton's  occurred  at  n 
a.  m.  and  that  the  Union  troops  were  driven  at  great  speed 
over  the  Dry  Valley  road  to  the  hills  beyond.  After  the  first 
few  moments  no  stand  to  speak  of  was  made.  It  certainly  did 
not  take  long  for  the  Confederates  to  cover  the  mile,  or  such 
a  matter,  to  the  Vittetoe  place — an  hour  was  more  than 
enough.  Another  hour  would  surely  cover  the  time  taken  to 
reform  their  lines  and  move  towards  Snodgrass  Ridge. 
Colonel  Moore  says  we  began  the  assault  at  one  o'clock.  Col. 
S.  B.  Moe,  then  General  Steedman's  assistant  adjutant-general, 
says  he  looked  at  his  watch,  and  that  it  was  just  twelve  o'clock 
when  we  passed  Cloud's  Spring  on  our  way  to  the  battle.  We 
all  know  we  went  at  double  quick  time  nearly  all  the  way,  and 
that  from  Cloud's  to  Snodgrass  House  is  only  about  one  and 
one-half  miles.  That  would  make  it  not  later  than  one  o'clock. 
Nearly  all  the  generals,  Union  and  Confederate,  speak  of  more 


166  COMMENTS  ON  THE  BATTLE. 

than  four  hours'  battle.  General  Whitaker  says  we  arrived  at 
the  point  occupied  by  General  Thomas  between  twelve  and  one 
o'clock ;  General  Granger  says,  "About  I  p.  m.  I  reported  to 
General  Thomas ;"  General  Steedman  says,  "I  reached  Major- 
General  Thomas  and  reported  to  him  at  half-past  one  o'clock ;" 
Colonel  Mitchell,  commanding  the  second  brigade,  says,  re- 
ferring to  his  brigade,  "At  one  o'clock  an  order  was  received 
to  form  line  of  battle." 

Taking  all  the  evidence  into  consideration,  we  must  con- 
clude that  the  first  charge  was  made  not  later  than  about  1 130 
p.  m.  and  that  the  generals  commanding  other  divisions  and 
corps,  as  well  as  the  Confederate  generals,  were  misinformed 
as  to  the  time. 

The  conduct  of  the  gallant  soldier,  and  as  he  afterwards 
proved  to  be,  most  capable  commander,  Gen.  Phil.  Sheridan 
on  that  afternoon,  was,  to  say  the  least,  remarkable.  After 
reforming  his  command  at  McFarland's  Gap  within  sound 
of  the  struggle  on  Snodgrass  Ridge  then  in  progress,  and  hav- 
ing at  his  command  Davis'  division  and  the  stragglers  from 
Negley's  and  other  divisions,  he  declined  the  opportunity — 
even  request  made  of  him — to  go  direct  to  the  aid  of  the  de- 
voted band  on  Thomas'  right.  He  could  easily  have  done  so, 
and  have  been  in  action  by  four  o'clock.  His  arrival  at  that 
time  would  have  routed  the  enemy  and  have  made  Chicka- 
mauga  a  glorious  victory  for  the  Union  arms.  Instead,  he 
chose  to  make  the  long  circuit  by  way  of  Rossville  Gap,  which 
barely  brought  him  to  Cloud's  Spring  at  7  p.  m.,  after  the 
battle  was  over  and  our  army  was  in  retreat. 

Another  remarkable  circumstance  of  the  battle  was  the  loss, 
not  by  death,  wounds  or  capture,  but  by  straying  away  from 
its  commander,  of  Gen.  John  Beatty's  brigade.  In  the  fore- 
noon it  splendidly  assisted  in  the  repulse  of  Breckinridge  on 
Baird's  left.  After  some  hours'  gallant  fighting,  the  brigade 
separated  into  two  portions,  and  one  made  a  detour  through 
the  valley  northwest  of  Snodgrass  Ridge  and  joined  Negley  in 
his  retreat,  while  the  other  portion  took  a  different  route  and 
also  fell  in  with  the  general  retreat  that  took  place  after  the 
break  on  the  right.  General  Beatty,  having  lost  both  wings 


JOHN   GORE. 

FIRST  SERGT.  WM.  F.  GORE.  LIEUT.  JOS.  GORE. 

GEORGE  G.  LARGE. 
ALL  OF  COMPANY  A. 


AFTER  THE  BATTLE.  167 

of  his  brigade,  joined  the  forces  on  Snodgrass  Hill  and  did 
good  service  in  rallying  the  Union  troops. 

The  Confederates  had  been  so  badly  used  up  and  the  battle 
continued  so  late  in  the  evening  that  they  were  not  aware  of 
our  retreat  until  the  next  morning.  Bragg  was  then  so  dazed 
that  he  was  afraid  to  make  pursuit,  and  thus  failed  to  take 
advantage  of  our  weakness.  As  before  narrated,  our  army 
was  in  a  sad  plight  that  Sunday  night  after  the  battle.  The 
wounded  were  lying  on  the  ground  and  on  heaps  of  weeds  in 
every  direction.  The  army  seemed  a  mass  of  men  rather  than 
an  organized  force.  Many  regiments  were  separated  in  de- 
tachments ;  brigades  were  divided  in  the  same  way.  As  late 
as  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning  Gen.  Absalom  Baird  came 
riding  past  the  H5th,  inquiring  for  different  regiments  of  his 
division,  trying  to  get  them  together.  He  had  eaten  nothing 
since  early  the  day  before  and  gladly  took  a  tin  cup  of  black 
coffee  and  a  biscuit  that  were  offered  him.  All  was  hurry  and 
confusion.  Such  of  the  wounded  as  could  readily  be  moved 
were  hastily  started  for  Chattanooga.  Surgeons  were  busy 
dressing  wounds.  No  one  seemed  to  think  of  further  battle ; 
certainly  we  were  ill  prepared  to  receive  an  attack.  Fortu- 
nately, as  usual,  Bragg  did  not  know  our  condition,  and  an- 
other splendid  opportunity  for  him  was  neglected.  As  the 
forenoon  wore  away  our  brigades  and  divisions  began  to  take 
form.  A  skirmish  line  had  been  sent  out  on  Mission  Ridge 
early  in  the  day ;  later  a  line  of  battle  supported  it.  In  the 
meantime  Rosecrans  was  making  vigorous  preparations  for 
the  defense  of  Chattanooga.  During  the  night  of  the  2ist  the 
army  was  quietly  withdrawn  from  the  ridge  and  concentrated 
immediately  about  the  city.  Not  all  of  it,  however,  for  Com- 
panies C  and  H  of  the  96th  Illinois  and  Captain  Meagher's 
Company  H  of  the  4Oth  Ohio,  which  had  been  placed  on 
skirmish  line  on  the  ridge  with  some  other  detachments,  in 
all  seven  officers  and  about  one  hundred  men,  were  allowed 
to  remain  without  notice  of  the  retreat.  Towards  noon  the 
next  day,  after  the  Confederates  had  passed  through  Ross- 
ville  Gap  and  were  taking  position  around  Chattanooga,  they 
were  discovered,  surrounded,  and  made  prisoners. 


168  CARE  OF  THE  WOUNDED. 

On  the  22cl  the  first  brigade,  including  the  H5th,  marched 
through  Chattanooga,  across  the  Tennessee  River,  and  went 
into  camp  opposite  Brown's  Ferry,  a  little  below  "Moccasin 
Point." 

All  the  churches  and  other  public  buildings  and  many  dwell- 
ings in  Chattanooga  were  converted  into  hospitals.  Many  of 
the  wounded  had  no  shelter  of  any  kind,  but  were  left  lying 
on  the  ground  in  the  front  yards  of  residences  or  wherever 
most  convenient  to  unload  them  from  the  ambulances  and 
wagons.  A  lieutenant  was  left  all  night  on  a  stretcher  near 
the  walk  leading  to  a  dwelling  temporarily  used  as  a  hospital, 
supposed  to  be  mortally  wounded  and  certain  to  die  before 
morning.  But  he  survived  the  cold  and  neglect,  and  showed 
sufficient  signs  of  life  to  attract  General  Steedman's  attention, 
as  he  rode  past  on  the  morning  of  the  22d.  The  general  at 
once  ordered  the  nurses  to  take  him  in  the  house  and  to  give 
him  proper  care.  Strange  to  say,  he  recovered  from  it  all  and 
may  be  yet  living  to  tell  the  story. 

Lieutenant  Royse  had  been  wounded  in  the  left  shoulder 
by  a  fragment  of  a  shell  a  little  before  that  last  charge,  when 
Steedman  carried  the  flag,  but  continued  with  his  company 
until  the  next  morning.  Colonel  Moore  then  observed  his 
wound  and  ordered  him  to  Chattanooga,  and  while  the  regi- 
ment was  moving  out  on  Missionary  Ridge  on  the  2ist  he  was 
on  his  way  over  the  dusty  road  towards  the  city.  ,  The  whole 
country  between  Rossville  and  Chattanooga  had  been  tramped 
and  worn  by  the  thousands  of  troops  and  army  wagons,  till 
the  road  seemed  a  very  wide  one.  Wide  as  it  was,  it  was 
thronged  that  day  with  ambulances  and  wagons,  and  wounded 
men  on  foot  and  on  horseback — all  very  anxious  to  get  to  a 
place  of  safety.  Being  able  to  care  for  himself,  Lieutenant 
Royse,  after  a  night's  lodging  in  a  house  filled  with  wounded, 
on  the  morning  of  the  22d  went  to  the  church  a  short  distance 
north  of  the  old  Crutchfield  house,  where  he  found  Surgeon 
Garner  H.  Bane,  busy  with  important  surgical  operations. 
The  surgeon  informed  Lieutenant  Royse  that  he  had  neither 
eaten  nor  slept  since  the  battle,  but  with  many  other  surgeons 


INVESTMENT  OF  CHATTANOOGA.  169 

had  constantly  worked  day  and  night,  being  sustained  by  the 
excitement  and  an  occasional  sip  of  brandy. 

The  siege  was  at  once  on.  Very  soon  the  Confederates  had 
taken  position  on  Missionary  Ridge,  with  their  advance  line 
extending  across  the  valley  to  Lookout  Mountain,  threaten- 
ingly near  our  works.  The  Union  forces  were  working  night 
and  day  putting  the  old  rebel  forts  in  order,  building  new  ones, 
digging  trenches,  and  throwing  up  earthworks.  The  whole 
place  was  on  "rush  orders."  As  early  as  the  24th  the  Con- 
federates were  on  Lookout  Mountain  and  had  taken  possession 
of  the  road  to  Bridgeport.  Thus  our  lines  of  communication  to 
Nashville  were  cut  off,  except  the  very  difficult  one  over  Wai- 
den's  Ridge  and  down  Sequatchie  Valley,  a  distance  of  sev- 
enty-five miles  of  little  used  mountain  roads  to  Stevenson, 
Ala. 

The  difficulty  of  securing  supplies  for  such  a  large  army  at 
once  apparent,  and  the  danger  that  the  Confederates  who  were 
daily  receiving  large  reenforcements  would  attempt  to  take 
the  place  by  storm,  made  it  imperative  that  all  the  wounded 
who  were  able  to  travel  should  be  sent  to  the  rear.  The  dan- 
ger of  the  situation  becoming  known  to  the  wounded  through 
the  excited  surgeons  and  nurses,  what  was  very  nearly  a  stam- 
pede to  the  North  began  on  the  23d.  Every  man  at  all  capable 
for  the  journey,  and  very  many  so  badly  wounded  that  to 
attempt  it  was  at  the  imminent  risk  of  life,  scrambled  for  a 
chance  to  get  away.  All  the  ambulances  and  wagons  avail- 
able were  soon  filled.  Hundreds  with  arms  and  legs  bandaged, 
and  many  more  or  less  severely  wounded  but  whose  wounds 
had  received  no  attention,  took  to  the  road  afoot.  And  thus 
the  crowds  streamed  over  the  pontoon  bridge  and  up  the 
slopes  of  Walden's  Ridge.  The  jolting  of  the  ambulances 
and  wagons  was  excruciating  to  the  badly  wounded,  but  re- 
gardless of  the  cries  of  pain  the  procession  moved  on.  A 
dozen  or  more  died  that  night  and  were  buried  in  rude  graves, 
without  coffins  or  ceremony,  on  the  summit  of  the  ridge.  The 
next  day's  march  brought  them  down  into  the  Sequatchie 
Valley,  and  late  on  the  third  day  they  were  at  Bridgeport,  Ala. 
Then  there  was  a  long  wait,  some  of  the  men  in  field  hospitals 


170  AN  INCIDENT. 

and  many  more  on  the  ground  without  shelter,  till  railroad 
transportation  could  be  provided  to  take  them  to  Nashville  to 
the  hospitals.  Here  the  good  work  of  Governor  Morton  of 
Indiana  was  shown  to  great  advantage.  As  soon  as  the  tele- 
graph had  brought  the  news  of  the  battle  into  his  executive 
chamber  he  hastened  the  organization  of  a  corps  of  volunteer 
surgeons  and  nurses  and  sent  them  to  the  front.  These  met 
the  wounded  at  Bridgeport  and  were  indeed  like  good  Samar- 
itans to  them. 

An  incident  of  this  march  of  the  wounded  over  Walden's 
Ridge  may  be  worth  mentioning.  W.  G.  Henry  of  Company 
E,  who  was  so  badly  wounded  that  he  could  not  help  himself, 
was  lying  on  a  bed  of  straw  in  a  big  government  wagon,  the 
most  comfortable  transportation  at  his  command.  Five  or  six 
others,  less  severely  injured,  occupied  it  with  him.  All  went 
fairly  well,  though  it  may  be  imagined  the  jolting  over  stones 
and  ruts  was  not  particularly  soothing  to  the  wounds,  till  a 
turn  was  reached  in  the  descent  to  Sequatchie  Valley.  There 
the  road  was  cut  out  of  rock  and  was  barely  wide  enough  for 
one  team  to  pass.  A  perpendicular  wall  of  rock  rose  at  one 
side,  while  on  the  other  was  a  precipice  nearly  as  steep,  per- 
haps three  hundred  feet  to  the  bottom.  This  dangerous  sit- 
uation was  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  the  roadbed  inclined  from 
the  mountain  wall  towards  the  precipice  at  a  pretty  steep 
grade.  As  this  particular  wagon  reached  the  narrowest  place, 
the  rear  wheels  began  sliding  towards  the  edge  until  it  was 
almost  within  the  breadth  of  a  tire  of  going  over,  when  the 
wagon  was  brought  to  a  stand.  Soon  all  who  could  help  them- 
selves were  out,  but  poor  Billy  Henry  was  left  to  the  chance 
of  a  whirl  down  the  mountain.  He  could  not  get  out  of  the 
wagon,  and  there  were  not  well  men  enough  in  the  party  to 
lift  him  out.  Imagine,  if  you  please,  his  state  of  mind  as  his 
wounded  companions  and  the  driver  discussed  ways  and  means 
for  holding  the  wagon  from  going  over  till  the  narrow  place 
should  be  passed,  and  what  a  relief  it  was  to  all  when  it  was 
safely  over. 

While  the  wounded  were  traveling  over  the  mountain,  the 
remnant  of  the  ii5th  was  going  into  camp  opposite  Brown's 


CAPTURE  OF  THE  FERRY-BOAT.  171 

Ferry,  a  little  below  the  ball  of  the  foot  on  the  "Moccasin," 
opposite  Lookout  Mountain.  The  96th  Illinois,  84th  Indiana 
and  4Oth  Ohio  went  into  camp  opposite  the  mouitain.  Com- 
pany D  was  sent  a  mile  or  two  farther  up  the  river,  to  keep 
watch  on  the  operations  of  the  enemy,  and  there  they  re- 
mained until  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Wauhatchie. 

On  the  24th  the  regiment  met  a  severe  loss  in  the  killing 
and  capture  of  a  detail  that  was  taking  an  old  ferry-boat  down 
the  river  past  the  mountain.  Lieut.  Joseph  Gore  of  Company 
A  was  in  charge  of  a  detail  from  the  various  companies,  in  all 
some  forty  men,  who  were  ordered  to  get  the  boat  off  a  reef 
some  distance  above  the  point  of  Lookout  where  it  had  lodged, 
and  bring  it  down  to  Brown's  Ferry.  They  got  the  boat  loose 
at  10  a.  m.  on  that  day,  and  at  i  p.  m.  started  down  stream. 
The  boat  was  propelled  by  mule  power  and  all  went  well  till 
opposite  the  point  of  Lookout  Mountain.  Although  the  rebels 
had  as  yet  made  no  demonstration  on  the  mountain,  Lieutenant 
Gore  was  apprehensive  of  danger  and  was  taking  all  possible 
precaution  against  an  attack,  while  fearlessly  obeying  his  or- 
ders. As  they  passed  the  narrows  opposite  Point  Lookout, 
the  rebels  opened  on  them.  One  of  the  mules  was  killed  at  the 
first  volley  and  the  boat  was  disabled.  In  its  helpless  condi- 
tion, the  boat  was  rapidly  carried  by  the  current  to  the  moun- 
tain side  of  the  river.  Seven  or  eight  of  the  men  jumped  over- 
board and  tried  to  swim  ashore,  but  all  were  killed  or  drowned 
excepting  J.  A.  Brady  of  Company  F,  who  kicked  his  clothes 
off  in  the  water  and  succeeded  in  reaching  our  shore  in  safety. 
All  the  others  were  made  prisoners. 

The  siege  of  Chattanooga  was  very  soon  quite  an  accom- 
plished fact.  The  Confederate  line  of  investment  extended 
from  the  Tennessee  River  above  the  city,  along  the  west  base 
of  Mission  Ridge  and  across  the  valley  to  Lookout  Mountain 
and  the  river  below.  Thus  our  communications  were  com- 
pletely cut  off,  except  by  one  or  two  difficult  passes  over  Wai- 
den's  Ridge.  By  such  means  it  was  very  difficult  to  supply 
so  large  an  army  and  very  soon  the  rations  ran  low.  The 
enemy's  cavalry  were  constantly  harassing  our  supply  trains. 
In  one  of  their  raids,  about  the  ist  of  October,  R.  Q.  M.  Lieut. 


172          CAPTURE  OF  UTTER'S  PARTY. 

C.  W.  Jerome  and  several  hundred  other  Union  soldiers,  with 
a  supply  train  coming  up  Sequatchie  Valley  en  route  to  Chat- 
tanooga, were  captured  by  Gen.  Joseph  Wheeler.  The  prison- 
ers were  put  on  a  forced  march  to  McMinnville  and  a  little  be- 
yond, where  they  were  hastily  paroled,  because  Wheeler  did 
not  know  what  else  to  do  with  them.  They  soon  found  their 
way  to  Nashville,  and  thence  back  to  the  front  by  railroad 
to  Stevenson,  and  again  over  the  mountains.  Forage  be- 
came so  scarce  that  many  hundreds  of  our  mules  died  of  over- 
work and  starvation.  It  was  said  that  so  many  of  them  died  on 
the  trail  between  Stevenson  and  Chattanooga  that  if  arranged 
head  and  tail  touching,  they  would  have  made  a  continuous 
line  the  whole  distance. 

As  the  enemy  had  possession  of  all  the  country  south  of 
the  river,  and  the  narrow  valley  between  Walden's  Ridge  and 
Chattanooga  was  quickly  stripped  of  everything  at  all  suitable 
for  food,  our  opportunity  for  foraging  was  small  indeed.  Quar- 
ter rations  of  fat  pork  and  hardtack  were  not  sufficient  to  sat- 
isfy hunger  and  the  boys  wished  for  some  of  the  good  things 
afforded  by  the  country  beyond  the  river.  Opposite  the  camp 
of  the  1 1 5th  was  a  range  of  low  hills,  and  beyond  that  some 
distance  of  fairly  level  cultivated  farm  lands,  in  a  sort  of  valley 
between  Lookout  and  Raccoon  Mountains.  It  was  known 
that  the  rebels  occupied  Lookout  Mountain,  and  that  perhaps 
bands  of  their  cavalry  occasionally  passed  through  the  valley, 
but  it  was  not  supposed  that  any  force  was  kept  nearer  than 
the  mountain.  At  least  some  of  the  men  of  the  ii5th  thought 
it  would  not  be  extra  hazardous  to  go  over  the  river  and  assist 
in  taking  care  of  the  corps.  Lieutenant  Utter  offered  to  con- 
duct a  party,  and  Colonel  Moore  consented  that  a  volunteer 
squad  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  might  go.  After'  passing  the 
hills,  the  country  seemed  clear  of  the  enemy  and  all  peaceful. 
They  soon  found  an  abundance  of  sweet  potatoes,  and  fruit  in 
an  orchard  near  by,  and  were  rapidly  helping  themselves.  All 
unmindful  of  danger,  Lieutenant  Utter  was  busy  digging  sweet 
potatoes  with  a  bayonet,  when,  to  his  surprise  he  heard  a  shot, 
quickly  followed  by  others.  One  of  the  bullets  struck  the 
bayonet  on  which  his  weight  was  resting,  causing  him  to  fall 


LIEUT.  G.  L.  UTTER. 
COMPANY  C. 


LIEUTENANT   UTTER'S    ESCAPE.  173 

to  the  ground,  but  unhurt.  His  men  seeing  him  fall  thought 
he  was  killed,  and  attempted  to  escape  by  flight,  but  were  all 
captured.  The  lieutenant  was  soon  on  his  feet  and  giving  the 
rebels  an  exhibition  of  his  speed.  He  soon  outran  them  and 
was  making  well  for  liberty  when,  just  as  he  was  entering 
the  woods,  a  squad  of  rebel  cavalry  came  along  and  made  him 
prisoner.  Lieutenant  Utter's  story  of  his  "prison  life"  and 
escape  is  worth  narrating.  His  captors  took  him  with  them 
some  miles  up  Lookout  Valley  in  a  cove  amid  cedar  trees  to 
their  camp.  He  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  guard,  and  was 
soon  on  good  terms  with  its  members.  The  night  being  cool 
the  guard  reserve  sat  about  a  fire,  only  one  man  being  on  duty 
with  gun  in  hand,  while  the  others  enjoyed  Lieutenant  Utter's 
funny  stories.  He  had  a  large  fund  of  anecdotes  of  adven- 
tures, hairbreadth  escapes  and  the  like,  and  seemed  in  special 
humor  for  telling  them.  The  guards  had  not  had  so  much  fun 
in  a  long  while,  and  laughed  heartily  at  every  story.  There 
was  method  in  the  lieutenant's  fun,  however.  He  had  noticed 
that  one  of  the  guards  had  no  cap  on  his  gun,  so  he  kept  on 
with  his  stories  till  that  man  came  on  duty.  Then  at  the  cli- 
max of  one  of  his  best,  when  all  were  convulsed  in  laughter,  he 
made  a  break  for  liberty  and  again  gave  them  an  exhibition 
of  sprinting.  Though  quickly  recovering  from  their  surprise 
and  as  quickly  sending  a  volley  after  him,  he  was  too  far  away 
for  danger.  Of  course  the  whole  camp  was  alarmed  and  at 
once  made  energetic  pursuit,  but  without  avail.  Utter  had 
taken  shelter  under  a  wide-spreading  cedar,  where  he  re- 
mained unnoticed  by  them  until  all  was  quiet,  when  he  set  out 
for  the  river.  He  made  good  time  till  well  down  the  valley 
when,  to  his  horror,  he  heard  the  yelping  of  hounds  in  pur- 
suit. The  thought  of  being  torn  by  bloodhounds  was  terrible. 
Raccoon  Mountain  was  to  his  left ;  if  he  could  reach  that  he 
might  from  a  steep  place  fight  them  with  stones.  Again  his 
legs  did  him  good  service ;  the  mountain  was  reached  and  he 
climbed  some  distance  up  its  side.  In  the  meantime  the 
hounds  had  given  up  the  chase,  if  in  fact  they  were  on  his  trail 
at  all,  and  he  was  glad  to  take  a  rest.  While  thus  waiting  he 
heard  voices  and  soon  observed  a  squad  of  rebel  cavalry  pass- 


174  LIEUTENANT    UTTER'S    ESCAPE. 

ing  around  the  side  of  the  mountain  a  few  rods  below  him. 
They  were  soon  gone,  however,  and  he  again  started  for  the 
river.  Again  he  was  on  the  range  of  low  hills  near  the  river 
and  a  new  danger  was  before  him.  A  rebel  picket  line  had 
been  placed  along  the  side  of  the  hill,  and  the  guards  were 
passing  back  and  forth  on  their  beats.  Fortunately  they  were 
w?holly  ignorant  of  his  approach.  To  pass  that  line  was  the 
problem.  But  Utter  was  equal  to  it.  Watching  the  oppor- 
tunity when  the  sentinels,  in  walking  their  long  beats,  were 
farthest  apart,  he  quietly  slipped  past  the  line  and  was  soon 
down  to  the  water's  edge.  Another  difficulty  was  before  him. 
How  was  he  to  cross  the  river?  He  would  perish  if  he  at- 
tempted to  swim  in  the  cold  water.  It  was  nearly  daylight,  and 
in  great  anxiety  he  waited,  hoping  that  he  might  see  some  of 
the  boys  and  by  signal  get  them  to  come  over  for  him.  Soon 
he  heard  the  sound  of  paddles  in  the  water,  and  in  a  moment 
saw  a  skiff  coming  a  little  above  him.  In  a  whisper  he  called, 
"Come  in  here,"  but  the  man  in  the  boat  was  frightened  and 
began  pulling  out  in  the  stream.  He  was  in  agony  at  the 
thought  of  being  left  to  his  fate  while  so  near  his  friends.  If 
he  made  a  loud  noise  the  rebels  would  hear  him  and  would 
certainly  take  him.  Again  he  called  in  hoarse  whisper, 
"Come  here,  for  God's  sake,  and  save  me  ;  it  is  Gid  Utter,  come 
and  get  me."  This  appeal  had  its  effect  and  he  was  quickly  in 
the  boat  and  on  his  way  to  the  regiment. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


CHATTANOOGA  TO  MISSIONARY  RIDGE. 

The  effect  of  the  siege  was  more  and  more  severely  felt  as 
time*  wore  on.  The  "cracker  line"  was  so  easily  interrupted, 
the  mules  were  so  poor  and  the  task  was  so  great  that  it  was 
impossible  to  keep  the  men  supplied  all  the  time  with  even 
quarter  rations.  Sometimes  a  day  or  two  were  passed  without 
anything  to  relieve  the  hunger  except  a  little  corn  stolen  from 
the  mules,  which  was  roasted  and  most  greedily  devoured.  To 
add  to  the  hardship  of  the  service  at  that  time  guard  duty  was 
very  severe,  the  detail  coming  about  every  second  day.  Lieu- 
tenant Litsenberger  being  unable  for  duty,  Lieut.  E.  K. 
Schwartz  acted  as  adjutant  most  of  the  time  while  the  regi- 
ment was  at  Brown's  Ferry.  At  that  time  there  were  only 
twenty-one  commissioned  officers  present  for  duty,  including 
field  and  staff,  and  about  258  enlisted  men — a  small  number 
compared  with  our  roll  when  we  entered  the  service. 

Meanwhile  great  activity  had  prevailed  along  the  Union 
lines  surrounding  Chattanooga.  A  chain  of  excellent  earth- 
work forts  was  constructed,  covering  all  approaches  to  the 
city.  Very  heavy  details  for  "fatigue  duty"  on  these  works 
were  made  daily.  Some  of  these  defensive  works  remained 
until  recently,  when  the  wants  of  the  growing  city  required 
their  demolition.  Generals  Wood,  Negley,  Sheridan  and  other 
commanders  of  Chickamauga  were  honored  in  the  names  of 
those  forts.  The  War  Department  responded  promptly  to  the 
calls  for  help,  and  as  early  as  the  2ist  of  September,  the  day 
after  the  battle,  ordered  all  possible  reenforcements  to  be  sent 
to  Rosecrans  from  the  Department  of  the  Tennessee.  On  the 
22d  Grant  ordered  John  E.  Smith's  division  to  proceed  at  once 
to  the  Department  of  the  Cumberland.  The  same  day  Hurl- 
but's  corps  was  ordered  to  the  same  destination.  The  Presi- 


176  FOURTH   CORPS  ORGANIZED. 

dent  telegraphed  Burnside  to  hurry  his  army  to  Rosecrans' 
relief.  On  the  23d  the  general-in-chief  ordered  the  nth  corps, 
Gen.  O.  O.  Howard  commanding,  and  the  I2th  corps,  Gen. 
Joseph  Hooker  commanding,  both  under  command  of  General 
Hooker,  to  proceed  by  rail  to  the  relief  of  General  Rosecrans 
to  protect  his  line  of  communications  from  Nashville  to 
Bridgeport.  On  the  29th  three  thousand  of  Howard's  corps 
passed  through  Nashville,  on  the  way  to  the  front.  On  Octo- 
ber ist  the  nth  corps  reached  Bridgeport  and  the  I2th  was 
passing  Nashville.  On  the  3d  Hooker  was  at  Stevenson.  On 
the  7th  the  bridge  over  the  Tennessee  at  Bridgeport  was  com- 
pleted, and  the  nth  and  I2th  corps  from  that  on  made  good 
progress  towards  the  relief  of  Chattanooga. 

General  Baird  had  been  relieved  of  the  command  of  the 
first  division,  I4th  army  corps,  on  the  day  after  the  battle, 
because  of  the  return  of  Gen.  L.  H.  Roussau,  its  former  com- 
mander, and  not  for  any  fault  of  General  Baird.  In  fact,  Gen- 
eral Baird  was  highly  commended  in  general  orders  for  his 
"prudence  and  ability  displayed  while  in  command,  for  the 
unflinching  courage  and  ability  with  which  he  carried  his 
troops  into  action,  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga." 

On  September  28th  Generals  McCook  and  Crittenden  were 
relieved  of  command  by  order  of  the  War  Department,  and 
a  court  of  inquiry  was  ordered  to  investigate  their  conduct  in 
the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  General  Negley  was  relieved 
later  and  a  like  court  of  inquiry  called. 

On  October  9th  the  2Oth  and  2ist  corps  were  consolidated 
with  portions  of  the  reserve  corps  (including  our  brigade), 
constituting  a  new  corps  known  as  the  4fh  army  corps,  under 
the  command  of  Maj.-Gen.  Gordon  Granger.  The  new  corps 
consisted  of  three  divisions  of  three  brigades  each.  Maj.-Gen. 
John  M.  Palmer  was  given  command  of  the  first  division,  of 
which  our  brigade  still  commanded  by  Brig.-Gen.  W.  C.  Whit- 
aker  was  the  second.  The  first  brigade  was  commanded  by 
Brig.-Gen.  Charles  Cruft,  and  the  third  by  Brig.-Gen.  William 
Grose.  They  were  three  splendid  brigades,  as  fine  as  any  in 
the  army.  Our  second  brigade  was  composed  of  our  old 
quartette,  the  96th  and  H5th  Illinois,  4Oth  Ohio  and  84th 


CAPTURE  OF  BROWN'S  FERRY.  177 

Indiana,  with  the  8th  Kentucky,  5ist  and  99th  Ohio  and  35th 
Indiana  added.  Maj.-Gen.  Phil.  Sheridan  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  second  division,  and  Brig.-Gen.  Thomas  J. 
Wood  to  the  third.  These  three  divisions  made  a  very  strong 
army  corps,  numbering  about  20,000  men. 

On  October  i6th,  by  General  Order  337  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment, Maj.-Gen.  W.  S.  Rosecrans  was  relieved  of  the  command 
of  the  Department  of  the  Cumberland,  and  Maj.-Gen.  George 
H.  Thomas  assigned  to  the  command.  By  the  same  order  the 
Military  Division  of  the  Mississippi  was  created,  composed  of 
the  Departments  of  the  Ohio,  the  Cumberland  and  the  Ten- 
nessee, and  Maj.-Gen.  U.  S.  Grant  was  assigned  to  the  com- 
mand. On  the  igth  General  Rosecrans  issued  his  farewell  ad- 
dress to  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  Department  of  the 
Cumberland,  and  announced  his  successor  in  most  complimen- 
tary terms.  At  the  same  time  General  Thomas  assumed  com- 
mand of  the  department.  General  Grant  arrived  at  Stevenson 
on  the  22d,  and  the  next  morning  started  for  Chattanooga  via 
the  Sequatchie  Valley  and  over  Walden's  Ridge,  reaching 
his  destination  on  the  evening  of  the  24th.  On  the  26th  Gen. 
Charles  Cruft  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  first  divis- 
ion, 4th  army  corps,  with  headquarters  at  Rankin's  Ferry,  the 
first  and  third  brigades  being  with  him.  Soon  after  that  Maj.- 
Gen.  David  S.  Stanley  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
first  division,  and  General  Cruft  returned  to  the  command 
of  the  first  brigade. 

On  the  night  of  October  27th,  1,800  men  under  Brig.-Gen. 
W.  B.  Hazen  in  sixty  pontoon  boats  floated  quietly  down  the 
Tennessee,  past  the  Confederate  pickets  on  Lookout  Moun- 
tain without  being  observed,  and  landed  on  the  south  bank  of 
the  river  at  Brown's  Ferry,  surprised  the  enemy's  picket  and 
captured  the  hills  adjacent,  with  a  loss  of  only  four  or  five 
wounded.  At  the  same  time  a  similar  force  under  Brig.-Gen. 
W.  F.  Smith,  chief  engineer,  with  materials  for  a  pontoon 
bridge  had  crossed  the  "Moccasin"  to  Brown's  Ferry  and  were 
taken  over  in  Hazen's  boats,  so  that  daylight  of  the  28th 
found  the  hills  opposite  the  camp  of  the  H5th  occupied  by 
4.000  Union  troops,  and  by  10  a.  m.  a  good  pontoon  bridge 


AT  BROWN'S  FERRY.  179 

across  the  river  was  ready  for  our  use.  On  the  same  morning 
Maj.-Gen.  Joseph  Hooker  at  the  head  of  the  nth  and  i2th 
corps  entered  Lookout  Valley  from  Bridgeport  via  White- 
sides,  and  about  midnight  following,  attacked  and  drove  the 
Confederates  from  a  strong  position  at  Wauhatchie.  Early  on 
the  29th  our  brigade,  under  General  Whitaker,  went  over  to 
Wauhatchie  to  assist  General  Hooker,  remained  a  day  and 
night,  and  then  returned  to  camp  at  Brown's  Ferry. 

On  the  3ist  Lieutenant  Royse  and  Corporal  Edmunds  of 
Company  E  returned  to  the  regiment.  Though  still  suffering 
from  his  wound  and  unable  for  field  duty,  Lieutenant  Royse 
was  so  anxious  to  see  the  boys  and  learn  of  their  welfare,  that 
he  left  the  officers'  hospital  at  Nashville  and  came  to  the  front 
without  leave  of  the  surgeon  in  charge.  At  Stevenson  he  met 
Edmunds  and  Sergt.  David  Porter  of  Company  H,  both  anx- 
ious to  get  to  the  front,  but  delayed  by  orders  forbidding  any 
one  to  go  forward  except  with  trains  accompanied  by  an  es- 
cort. The  three  were  not  long  in  maturing  a  plan  to  evade 
the  orders.  Edmunds  and  Porter  drew  their  regular  two  days' 
rations  as  if  for  use  in  transient  camp,  while  Royse  purchased 
at  the  commissary  enough  more  to  supply  them  for  the  jour- 
ney to  Brown's  Ferry.  With  only  this  preparation  and  with- 
out arms  except  Royse's  revolver,  scarcely  worth  carrying, 
the  trio  set  out  on  their  journey.  The  first  night  they  found 
shelter  in  an  old  blacksmith  shop  in  the  Sequatchie  Valley. 
The  next  day  they  passed  Jasper  and  started  over  the  moun- 
tain. Night  overtook  them  in  a  valley  between  spurs  of  Wald- 
en's  Ridge,  where  they  lodged  in  an  old  house  and  supple- 
mented their  army  rations  with  stewed  chicken,  a  bird  that 
Edmunds  pursuaded  a  woman  to  present  to  him.  Though 
having  met  no  Union  soldiers  since  leaving  the  valley  and 
entirely  ignorant  of  their  surroundings  they  all  slept  soundly 
through  the  night.  The  next  morning  as  the  journey  was 
continued  up  a  very  steep  winding  path,  first  to  the  right  and 
then  to  the  left,  the  stillness  of  the  mountains  was  broken  by 
the  sound  of  a  voice  far  above  them,  calling:  "Lieutenant 
Royse,  what  the  hell  are  you  doing  down  there  ?"  The  mystery 
was  soon  cleared  up  when  Col.  Nelson  Trusler  of  the  84th  In- 


180  AT  BROWN'S  FERRY. 

diana,  appeared  from  behind  some  large  rocks  on  his  way 
down  the  mountain.  He  had  resigned  and  was  on  his  way 
home.  On  the  summit  they  found  a  United  States  signal  sta- 
tion with  a  guard.  By  this  time  their  rations  were  gone  and 
they  were  getting  quite  hungry.  An  opportunity  to  buy  ra- 
tions seemed  at  hand,  but  to  their  request  the  lieutenant  com- 
manding said,  "We  have  none  to  sell.  We  have  been  on  short 
rations  for  six  weeks,  but  if  you  are  out,  we  are  glad  to  give 
you  a  share."  With  such  generous  treatment  they  declined 
more  than  a  noon  ration  and  hurriedly  moved  forward.  The 
afternoon  was  full  of  adventures  and  dangers,  crossing  swollen 
mountain  streams  on  slippery  logs  and  over  more  slippery 
rocks,  but  with  the  camp  of  the  H5th  only  a  few  miles  away 
they  were  not  to  be  long  hindered  by  such  trifles.  About  dark 
of  the  third  day  they  entered  the  camp,  and  received  the 
hearty  greetings  of  their  comrades.  After  a  general  hand- 
shaking and  when  the  rush  of  questions  and  answers  had 
somewhat  subsided,  Lieutenant  Royse  asked  Captain  Whita- 
ker  when  supper  would  be  ready,  but  got  poor  comfort  in  the 
answer,  "We  have  had  nothing  but  parched  corn  yet  today, 
and  that  is  all  gone." 

Colonel  Moore  was  glad  to  give  Lieutenant  Royse  easy 
duty,  and  as  Lieutenant  Schwartz  was  badly  needed  with  his 
company  and  in  the  harder  service  on  the  picket  line,  Lieu- 
tenant Royse  was  at  once  put  in  charge  of  the  adjutant's 
office.  Adjutant  Litsenberger,  having  resigned  on  account  of 
physical  disability,  left  for  home  a  few  days  later.  Early  on 
the  ist  of  November  the  brigade  broke  camp  and  started  on  the 
march  to  Shell  Mound  on  the  Tennessee  River,  within  a  half- 
mile  of  the  northwest  corner  of  the  State  of  Georgia,  the 
northeast  corner  of  Alabama,  fifteen  miles  distant.  The  H5th 
moved  -off  at  the  head  of  the  column,  across  the  pontoon 
bridge  and  over  .the  hills  beyond.  Very  soon  an  obstacle  was 
met  in  the  Lookout  Creek  too  deep  to  ford.  Colonel  Buell 
was  quickly  on  the  scene  with  a  detachment  of  the  pioneer 
brigade,  and  at  once  began  the  construction  of  a  temporary 
bridge.  General  Whitaker  was  impatient  at  the  seeming  slow 
progress  and  offered  to  Colonel  Buell  a  company  of  men  to 


MARCH  TO  SHELL  MOUND.  181 

help  in  the  work,  which,  being  accepted,  the  general  called 
on  Colonel  Moore  for  a  detail,  and  Acting  Adjutant  Royse  as 
promptly  reported  the  leading  company  for  the  work.  Not 
content  with  that,  General  Whitaker  began  ordering  the  men 
about,  much  as  a  boss  would  at  a  house  raising.  Colonel  Buell 
resented  that  as  an  interference  with  his  duty  and  called  on 
the  general  to  get  out  of  his  way.  That  was  too  much  for 
General  Whitaker's  Kentucky  blood,  and  he  proposed  settling 
the  matter  in  Kentucky  fashion.  Colonel  Buell  said,  "You 
are  a  brigadier-general  and  I  only  a  colonel.  We  are  not  on 
equal  terms."  Instantly  the  general  took  off  his  coat  and 
threw  it  on  the  ground,  saying,  "There  is  the  brigadier-general, 
here  is  Walter  C.  Whitaker  ready  to  fight  you  on  equal  terms." 
Buell  replied,  "My  duty  is  to  build  this  bridge.  After  that  is 
done  I  will  talk  to  you,"  and  went  on  with  his  work. 

Very  soon  the  bridge  was  done,  and  the  column  moved  on 
without  further  incident.  It  was  a  laborious  march  over  the 
rough  mountainous  roads  and  took  until  late  the  next  day  to 
reach  Shell  Mound.  The  brigade  at  once  went  into  camp 
along  the  river  bottoms  between  the  river  and  Sand  Moun- 
tain, and  in  the  cove  near  Nickojack  Cave.  The  H5th  was 
assigned  a  place  near  the  railroad  station.  Supplies  had  been 
ordered  up  from  Bridgeport,  and  two  days'  rations  were 
promptly  issued  to  the  hungry  men.  The  eagerness  with 
which  the  men  received  and  disposed  of  those  rations  was  re- 
markable. With  many  the  two  days'  supply  lasted  less  than 
a  day.  Fortunately  the  next  day  an  issue  of  five  days'  rations 
was  made. 

The  first  brigade  under  the  command  of  Col.  T.  D.  Sedg- 
wick  went  into  camp  at  Bridgeport,  while  the  third  brigade, 
commanded  by  Col.  P.  S.  Post,  remained  at  Whitesides.  Gen- 
eral Cruft's  division  headquarters  were  located  at  Shell  Mound. 
The  Union  forces  being  in  possession  of  the  entire  line  from 
Bridgeport  to  Brown's  Ferry,  including  Lookout  Valley,  the 
railroad  was  rapidly  put  in  order.  The  most  difficult  place 
was  the  gorge  at  Whitesides,  which  required  a  trestle  no  feet 
high.  Very  soon  an  abundance  of  supplies  were  pouring  into 


CHATTANOOGA — LOOKOUT  MOUNTAIN — MISSIONARY  RIDGE. 


FORCES  IN  THE  TENNESSEE  VALLEY.  183 

Chattanooga  and  no  further  complaints  of  short  rations  were 
heard. 

Major-General  Sherman's  forces  were  now  nearing  Bridge- 
port. On  November  i6th  General  Sherman  wrote,  "I  have 
made  the  junction,  and  lived  well  on  Confederate  corn  and 
pork.  My  own  corps,  the  i5th,  is  at  Bridgeport  in  fine  order." 
From  the  i8th  to  2Oth  the  road  was  full  of  Sherman's  men 
marching  to  the  front.  The  n6th  Illinois  Infantry,  mostly 
from  Macon  County,  was  among  them.  The  H5th  boys  from 
the  same  county  (E  and  F)  gave  them  a  hearty  welcome. 

At  this  time  the  Union  army  in  the  Tennessee  Valley,  at  or 
near  Chattanooga,  was  constituted  as  follows : 

4th  Army  Corps  present  for  duty 22,000 

nth       "  "       "     6,370 

I2th       "  "       "     9,200 

I4th       "  "       "     '. 19,250 

I5th       "  "          "      "     12,800 

I7th       "          "  "          "       "     4,000 


Total   infantry 73,620 

Cavalry  Corps,  Army  of  the  Cumberland 6,200 

Cavalry  Corps,  Army  of  the  Tennessee 200 

Artillery,  Engineers,  etc 5,ooo 


Total  men  for  duty 85,020 

Total  officers 5,900 


Grand  total 90,920 

This  force,  however,  included  the  garrisons  at  Chattanooga 
and  all  along  the  railroad  back  to  Nashville. 

On  the  23d  twelve  regiments  of  the  second  and  third  brig- 
ades left  Shell  Mound  and  Whitesides,  to  join  Hooker  in  his 
attack  on  Lookout  Mountain.  The  H5th  Illinois,  and  84th 
Indiana  Infantry  and  5th  Indiana  Batteryremained  as  garrison 
at  Shell  Mound,  Colonel  Moore  commanding  the  post.  Since 
its  arrival  at  Shell  Mound,  the  second  brigade  had  worked 
incessantly  fortifying  the  place,  so  that  the  little  garrison  was 
now  well  protected.  The  3Oth  Indiana  Infantry,  77th  Penn- 
sylvania Infantry  and  Battery  H,  4th  U.  S.  Artillery  of  the 


184  LOOKOUT  MOUNTAIN. 

third  brigade  were  left  as  garrison  at  Whitesides,  under  Lieut- 
Col.  O.  D.  Kurd  of  the  3Oth  Indiana.  The  first  brigade,  Col.  D. 
A.  Enyart  commanding,  remained  in  camp  opposite  Bridge- 
port. Maj.-Gen.  D.  S.  Stanley,  who  had  been  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  first  division  on  the  2Oth,  remained  at  division 
headquarters  at  Bridgeport,  commanding  these  garrisons, 
while  Brig.-Gen.  Charles  Cruft  went  to  the  front  in  command 
of  that  part  of  the  division  that  was  to  participate  in  the  ap- 
proaching battles. 

The  troops  thus  assigned  to  General  Cruft  were  the  8th 
Kentucky,  96th  Illinois,  4Oth  Ohio,  35th  Indiana,  5ist  Ohio 
and  99th  Ohio  of  the  second  brigade,  commanded  by  General 
Whitaker,  and  the  59th,  75th  and  84th  Illinois,  9th  and  36th 
Indiana  and  24th  Ohio  of  the  third  brigade,  commanded  by 
Col.  William  Grose — in  all  3,134  officers  and  men.  They  par- 
ticipated with  General  Hooker  in  the  capture  of  Lookout 
Mountain  on  the  24th  and  25th,  the  second  brigade  making 
an  especially  brilliant  record,  for  it  had  the  honor,  through 
the  8th  Kentucky,  of  first  placing  the  United  States  flag  on  top 
of  the  mountain.  General  Cruft  says,  in  his  official  report : 
"The  storming  of  Lookout  Mountain  must  rank  as  one  of  the 
most  splendid  achievements  of  the  war."  The  battle  of  Look- 
out Mountain,  sometimes  referred  to  by  poetic  license  as  "the 
battle  above  the  clouds,"  certainly  presented  a  wonderful  scene 
to  those  permitted  to  look  on  from  a  safe  distance.  The  line 
of  battle,  with  Whitaker's  brigade  on  the  right,  extended  in 
a  quarterly  direction  from  high  up  the  side  of  the  mountain 
almost  directly  beneath  the  palisades,  while  the  left  covered 
the  wagon  road  that  leads  around  the  point  of  Lookout.  In 
such  manner  the  line  of  bluecoats  swept  around  the  point  of 
the  mountain,  driving  the  Confederates  from  one  position  to 
another  until  they  were  forced  to  flee  across  the  valley  to  Mis- 
sionary Ridge. 

The  way  was  now  open  for  the  assault  on  Missionary  Ridge. 
General  Sherman's  corps  had  crossed  the  river  above  Chatta- 
nooga and  had  captured  the  northern  end  of  the  ridge.  The 
4th  corps,  Maj.-Gen.  Gordon  Granger  commanding,  that  is, 
Sheridan's  second  division  and  Wood's  third  division,  ad- 


MISSIONARY  RIDGE. 


185 


vanced  in  front  of  Fort  Wood  toward  Orchard  Knob,  being 
the  center  of  the  Union  line.  The  i4th  corps,  General  Palmer 
commanding,  was  next  to  the  right,  and  the  nth  corps,  Gen- 
eral Howard  commanding,  was  in  reserve  in  rear  of  the  4th 
corps.  Orchard  Knob  being  taken,  General  Howard's  corps 
advanced  to  the  left  of  the  4th  corps.  As  soon  as  Loo,kout 
was  carried,  General  Hooker's  command,  including  the  two 
brigades  of  our  division,  moved  over  the  valley  towards  Mis- 
sionary Ridge,  in  the  direction  of  Rossville,  taking  position 


BREVET  MAJ.-GEN.  CHARLES  CRUFT. 

on  the  extreme  right.  Towards  noon  on  the  25th  the  whole 
line  moved  forward  and  engaged  the  enemy  in  his  rifle  pits 
near  the  base  of  the  ridge.  The  orders  were  to  take  the  rifle 
pits  and  hold  that  position  prepared  for  an  assault  when  all 
should  be  ready.  The  first  part  of  these  orders  was  soon  exe- 
cuted. The  rebels  were  on  the  run  and  our  men  could  not 
resist  the  temptation  to  follow  them.  So  without  orders, 
Sheridan's  division  rushed  forward  up  the  hill.  The  other  di- 
visions to  the  right  and  left  caught  the  spirit  and  quickly 
joined  in  the  movement.  General  Sheridan  "could  not  order 
those  officers  and  men  who  were  so  gallantly  ascending  the 


186  MISSIONARY  RIDGE. 

hill,  step  by  step,  to  return."  On  they  went  till  the  summit 
was  reached,  Bragg's  headquarters  were  captured  and  his 
army  sent  scampering  southward.  Grant  was  amazed  as  he 
stood  on  Orchard  Knob  and  looked  at  the  long  line  steadily 
going  up  the  steep  hill  in  the  face  of  a  withering  fire  of  grape 
and  canister.  "Who  ordered  that  charge?"  inquired  General 
Grant,  but  no  general  was  then  willing  to  admit  that  he  did. 
History  answers  that  the  private  soldiers  both  ordered  and 
executed  it,  quickly  and  gallantly  supported  by  their  officers 
of  every  grade. 

Grant  says  in  his  official  report :  "These  troops  moved  for- 
ward, drove  the  enemy  from  the  rifle  pits  at  the  base  of  the 
ridge  like  bees  from  a  hive — stopped  but  a  moment  until  the 
whole  were  in  line — and  commenced  the  ascent  of  the  moun- 
tain from  right  to  left,  almost  simultaneously,  following  closely 
the  retreating  enemy,  without  further  orders.  They  encoun- 
tered a  fearful  volley  of  grape  and  canister  from  near  thirty 
pieces  of  artillery  and  musketry  from  still  well-filled  rifle  pits 
on  the  summit  of  the  ridge.  Not  a  waver,  however,  was  seen 
in  all  that  long  line  of  brave  men.  Their  progress  was  stead- 
ily onward  until  the  summit  was  in  their  possession." 

The  Confederate  forces  were  now  in  full  retreat  toward 
Ringgold,  Ga.  Here  the  gallant  Phil  Sheridan  showed  his 
ability  as  a  military  leader  by  at  once  making  a  vigorous  pur- 
suit. Nine  pieces  of  artillery  were  captured  by  him,  then  a 
severe  fight  was  necessary  to  overcome  the  resistance  of  the 
Confederates,  and  again  they  fled  and  more  artillery  was 
abandoned.  The  next  day  the  pursuit  was  continued  in  force, 
many  prisoners  being  taken  and  large  amounts  of  army  stores 
and  equipments,  and  many  pieces  of  artillery  captured.  This 
was  continued  until  the  enemy  was  driven  and  scattered  among 
the  hills  beyond  Ringgold.  Our  loss  in  the  battle  was : 

Officers.  Men.  Total. 

Killed  69  684  753 

Wounded   393  4.329  4,722 

Missing  or  captured 27  322  349 


Total  loss 5,824 


MISSIONARY  RIDGE.  187 

The  loss  of  the  enemy,  killed,  wounded  and  missing,  as 
reported  by  him  was  6,687,  which  perhaps  was  for  less  than 
the  real  loss. 

Our  captures  included  more  than  6,000  prisoners,  40  pieces 
of  artillery,  6,000  stands  of  small  arms  and  55,000  rounds  of 
ammunition. 

While  these  operations  were  going  on  about  Chattanooga, 
the  Army  of  the  Ohio  under  Major-General  Burnside  was  in 
a  state  of  siege  at  Knoxville.  General  Longstreet's  corps 
having  gone  to  the  assistance  of  the  Confederates  in  that  dis- 
trict, had  quite  completely  invested  the  place  and  it  had  be- 
come a  question  of  only  a  few  days  when  Burnside's  forces 
would  be  out  of  food  and  compelled  to  surrender.  Grant  was 
compelled  to  discontinue  the  pursuit  of  Bragg,  in  order  to 
send  relief  to  Knoxville.  As  soon  as  the  battle  was  over  he 
ordered  Granger  to  prepare  his  corps  for  a  forced  march  with 
20,000  men,  but  the  next  day,  thinking  Granger  a  little  tardy 
in  his  movements,  he  ordered  Sherman  to  take  his  corps  with 
Granger's  and  move  with  all  speed  to  the  help  of  Burnside. 
Although  the  I5th  corps  had  made  a  long  fatiguing  march 
and  at  once  entered  the  battle  of  Chattanooga,  the  boys  went 
forward  without  a  murmur,  and  very  soon  Longstreet  was 
made  to  think  Virginia  a  safer  place  for  his  army. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


SHELL  MOUND  TO  BLUE  SPRINGS. 

The  U5th  had  all  the  while  remained  at  Shell  Mound.  It 
was  not  permitted  to  share  the  glory  of  the  battles  of  Lookout 
Mountain  and  Missionary  Ridge,  for  its  duty  was  elsewhere,  it 
kept  open  the  lines  of  communication  to  our  army's  base  of 
supplies,  a  service  quite  as  valuable  as  that  of  the  regiments 
on  the  front  line.  So  far  as  engaging  in  battle  was  concerned, 
the  1 1 5th  had  had  such  a  double  portion  at  Chickamauga  that 
most  of  the  men  were  quite  content  to  do  patriotic  duty  in  a 
more  quiet  way,  and  give  others  a  chance  for  glory.  Lieu- 
tenant Riley  of  Company  K,  however,  being  aide-de-camp  on 
the  staff  of  General  Whitaker,  participated  in  the  whole  cam- 
paign, and  was  commended  by  that  general  for  untiring  de- 
votion to  duty. 

While  at  Shell  Mound  we  had  heavy  work  for  a  considerable 
time  throwing  up  breastworks  and  putting  the  place  in  con- 
dition for  defense.  Our  line  of  works  crossed  the  old  "Shell 
Mound,"  from  which  the  place  took  its  name.  This  made  it 
necessary  to  dig  down  the  mound  which  had  stood  for  many 
centuries.  After  the  removal  of  five  or  six  feet  of  earth,  it 
was  found  that  beneath  this  covering,  the  mound  was  made 
of  clean  river  shells,  so  laid  as  to  shed  the  water,  and  that  ex- 
cept the  outer  courses,  the  shells  were  hard  and  well  pre- 
served. Buried  deep  in  those  shells  were  numerous  skeletons, 
perhaps  the  bones  of  celebrated  chieftains  of  the  mound  build- 
ers' age.  The  colonel's  headquarters  while  commanding  the 
post  were  in  a  log  cabin  of  the  primitive  Tennessee  type,  lo- 
cated near  the  railroad  station  platform  close  to  the  river  bank. 
The  men  were  soon  comfortably  quartered  in  tent  cabins,  part 
of  logs  and  boards  and  part  of  their  shelter  tents.  Our  boys 
were  wonderfully  ingenious  in  making  the  best  of  the  limited 


VISIT  OF  GRANT.  189 

means  at  their  command.  Stones,  sticks  and  mud  served  to 
make  chimneys  to  their  quarters.  Though  comfortable  while 
in  camp,  they  often  had  pretty  rough  times  on  the  picket  line. 
The  bottom  occupied  by  the  camp  was  about  one-half  mile 
wide;  then  rose  Sand  Mountain  about  1,200  feet  high,  on  the 
summit  of  which  our  picket  line  was  placed.  Not  permitted 
to  have  fire,  the  men  on  the  outposts  suffered  much,  almost 
every  night  that  winter.  Their  suffering  was  extreme, 
however,  that  terribly  cold  last  night  of  December,  1863, 
and  first  morning  of  1864, — well  remembered  all  over  the 
North.  The  temperature  fell  to  zero  or  a  little  below,  and  they 
were  not  warmly  clad  and  had  but  one  blanket  each.  The 
boys  who  were  on  the  line  that  night  deserve  a  pension  what- 
ever their  health  may  be  now. 

An  interesting  feature  of  our  life  at  Shell  Mound  was  the 
daily  "call  for  rations"  from  the  poor  of  the  surrounding  coun- 
try. Their  supplies  of  food  were  all  gone,  both  armies  having 
had  a  hand  in  the  work  of  taking  it.  While  acting  as  post  ad- 
jutant, Lieutenant  Royse  had  a  daily  reception  at  his  office. 
Their  complaints  were  heard,  a  record  made  of  their  names, 
and  orders  issued  on  the  commissary  for  rations.  In  this  way 
5,469  rations  were  issued  to  people  of  that  vicinity.  Some  had 
seen  better  days,  but  all  were  then  in  need.  All  were  dressed 
in  garments  not  only  home  spun,  but  of  cotton  of  their  own 
raising  and  picking.  It  was  amusing  to  see  the  girls  and 
women  chewing  their  snuff  sticks.  Snuff  dipping  seemed  a 
common  practice  among  all  classes  of  women,  while  many 
chewed  and  smoked  tobacco. 

Some  time  after  the  battle  of  Chattanooga,  General  Grant 
was  returning  from  a  trip  to  Nashville  in  a  special  train  of 
one  car  and  an  engine.  On  arriving  at  Shell  Mound  he  was 
compelled  to  stop  and  wait  a  few  hours  for  the  repair  of  a 
culvert  or  trestle,  that  had  been  damaged  that  morning  by  a 
detachment  of  rebel  cavalrymen.  Very  soon  the  news  that 
Grant  was  there  spread  through  the  camp,  and  a  large  crowd 
assembled  around  the  railroad  near  the  general's  special  car. 
They  wanted  to  see  the  great  general,  but  no  response  came  to 
their  calls.  Determined  to  see  him  if  possible,  a  party  of  the 


190  PROMOTIONS  IN  THE  REGIMENT. 

boys  came  into  headquarters  and  reported  to  Coloned  Moore 
the  situation.  The  colonel  promised  to  do  what  he  could,  and 
asked  Post  Adjutant  Royse  to  go  with  him  to  the  car. 
Being  refused  admittance  by  the  guard,  Colonel  Moore  turned 
to  the  side  of  the  car  with  the  view  of  calling  to  the  general 
through  the  window,  when  General  Grant  stepped  off  the  car 
at  the  other  end.  The  colonel  had  never  seen  him  and  was 
surprised  at  his  appearance.  He  was  dressed  in  the  regulation 
uniform  suit  of  a  general  of  his  rank,  but  it  was  old,  worn  and 
dusty ;  his  hat  was  of  the  "slouch"  variety  with  a  simple  cord 
about  it,  also  worn  and  dingy,  as  were  his  shoulder  straps. 
His  coat  was  unbuttoned,  and  in  every  way  he  looked  the 
man  of  hard  work.  The  colonel  in  his  surprise  remarked  to 
Lieutenant  Royse  in  a  low  tone,  "Is  it  possible  that  is  General 
Grant  ?"  At  that  moment  the  general  and  colonel  approached 
each  other,  the  colonel  remarking,  "I  am  Colonel  Moore, 
commanding  this  post,"  to  which  the  general  responded  by 
modestly  saying,  "My  name  is  Grant." 

An  hour  of  free  conversation  ensued.  The  general  first 
asking  after  the  health  of  the  troops  and  how  they  were  situ- 
ated; then  the  prospect  for  opening  the  road  in  his  front 
The  colonel  asked  as  to  the  progress  of  the  war,  and  though 
not  disclosing  any  of  his  plans,  greatly  to  our  surprise,  he 
talked  with  much  freedom  about  it.  He  said,  "We  are  making 
as  good  progress  as  could  reasonably  be  expected.  We  began 
the  war  with  untrained  officers  and  men.  It  is  expected  that 
a  carpenter's  apprentice  will  work  at  his  trade  at  least  three 
years  before  he  is  fit  to  be  called  a  mechanic.  We  have  been 
learning  the  trade  of  war,  and  after  about  three  years,  are  just 
ready  to  do  effective  work.  We  shall  from  now  on  make 
better  progress,  and  a  year  or  two  more  should  nearly  com- 
plete the  job."  We  were  greatly  impressed  by  this  conversa- 
tion. Apparently  the  reticence  that  we  had  heard  so  much 
about  was  confined  to  matters  he  wished  to  keep  from  the 
public. 

The  death  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Kinman  left  a  vacancy, 
which  was  promptly  filled  by  the  promotion  of  Maj.  George 
A.  Poteet.  He  was  not  only  in  line  of  promotion,  but  his  merit 


PROMOTIONS  IN  THE  REGIMENT.  191 

and  fitness  for  the  position  were  recognized  by  all.  No  one 
questioned  the  propriety  of  his  promotion.  Not  so  with  the 
vacancy  left  by  Colonel  Poteet's  promotion.  Capt.  John  W. 
Lapham  of  Company  A  was  senior  captain  and  claimed  the 
right  to  be  promoted  to  the  position  of  major.  He  was  sup- 
ported in  his  aspirations  by  Capt.  David  Williams  and  several 
other  officers,  and  was  the  choice  of  a  large  proportion  of  the 
men.  Captain  Slocum  of  Company  B,  the  second  in  rank,  was 
also  an  aspirant  for  the  place,  and  in  addition  to  the  support 
of  several  officers,  was  decidedly  the  choice  of  the  colonel  and 
lieutenant-colonel.  Others  favored  Captains  Reardon  and 
Hymer  and  Lieutenant  Steen.  A  settlement  of  the  question 
was  attempted  by  an  election  held  by  the  commissioned  officers 
on  October  9th,  while  the  regiment  was  watching  the  opera- 
tions of  the  rebel  guns  on  old  Lookout,  which  resulted  as  fol- 
lows :  Captain  Slocum,  9 ;  Captain  Reardon,  7 ;  Captain  Lap- 
ham,  5;  Captain  Hymer,  2;  Lieutenant  Steen,  i. 

No  one  had  a  majority,  but  on  Captain  Slocum's  plurality, 
the  colonel  sent  forward  Captain  Slocum's  name  to  the  gov- 
ernor for  appointment  with  a  very  strong  personal  endorse- 
ment. A  number  of  officers,  believing  that  further  ballotings 
should  have  occurred  until  some  one  received  a  majority  of 
all,  and  wishing  to  delay  the  appointment  until  a  choice  could 
be  determined  by  such  method,  sent  a  request  to  Governor 
Yates  to  withhold  the  appointment  until  the  officers  should 
agree.  Captain  Lapham's  friends  were  very  active  in  his  be- 
half, and  numerous  letters  and  petitions  recommending  Cap- 
tain Lapham  were  forwarded  to  the  governor.  This  contro- 
versy engaged  the  attention  of  the  regiment  until  about  the 
time  we  left  Shell  Mound,  the  final  result  being  that  Captain 
Lapham  obtained  the  position  on  the  ground  of  seniority. 
First  Lieut.  Jesse  Hanon  was  then  promptly  promoted  to  the 
captaincy  of  Company  A,  and  Second  Lieut.  Joseph  B.  Gore 
to  fill  the  vacancy  thus  made  as  first  lieutenant.  The  vacancy 
in  the  captaincy  of  Company  D,  caused  by  the  death  of  Cap- 
tain Huckstep,  was  filled  by  the  promotion  of  First  Lieuten- 
ant Hymer ;  Second  Lieut.  Michael  P.  Jones  was  moved  up  to 
the  place  thus  left  vacant.  Lieut.  W.  F.  Slocum  of  Company 


192  STRENGTH  OF  THE  REGIMENT. 

F  resigned  November  28th,  and  First  Sergt.  Jacob  Porter  was 
promoted  to  the  place.  The  vacancy  in  the  captaincy  of  Com- 
pany G  made  by  the  death  of  Captain  Espy  was  filled  by  the 
promotion  of  First  Lieut.  John  W.  Dove,  Second  Lieut.  John 
M.  Baker  being  moved  forward  to  the  first  lieutenancy.  Capt. 
Cyrus  L.  Kinman  of  Company  I  resigned  October  iQth,  and 
First  Lieut.  James  A.  Rutherford  was  promoted  to  the  posi- 
tion, Second  Lieut.  Spencer  P.  Compton  taking  the  place 
vacated.  First  Lieut.  Sylvester  M.  Bailey  of  Company  K  re- 
signed December  28th  on  account  of  wounds,  and  Second 
Lieut.  Philip  Riley  was  promoted  to  the  vacancy. 

Thus  the  two  months  after  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  was  a 
period  of  many  changes  in  the  officers  of  the  regiment.  By 
these  changes  and  promotions,  and  because  of  the  greatly 
reduced  number  of  men  in  the  several  companies,  bringing 
them  below  the  limit,  Companies  A,  D,  F,  G,  I  and  K  were  left 
without  second  lieutenants.  Company  C  being  already  in  that 
position. 

The  strength  of  the  regiment,  present  for  duty,  as  shown  by 
reports  on  file  in  the  adjutant-general's  office,  was : 

Oct.  20,  Officers,  18;  Men,  286;  Total,  304. 

Nov.  10,  "  21;  "  315;  "  336. 

Nov.  20,  "  21;  "  317;  "  338. 

Dec.  10,  "  23;  "  337;  "  360. 

Dec.  20,  "  21;  "  341;  "  362. 

Jan.  10,  "  20;  "  334;  "  354. 

Jan.  20,  "  24;  "  340;  "  364. 

The  term  of  service  of  the  8th  Kentucky  expired  while  we 
were  at  Shell  Mound,  and  that  regiment  left  us  for  home. 
About  the  same  time  the  2ist  and  23d  Kentucky  were  ordered 
to  our  brigade.  There  were  many  points  of  scenic  interest  in 
the  vicinity  of  Shell  Mound,  as  it  was  nestled  in  between  spurs 
of  the  great  Cumberland  mountain  chain.  Among  the  most 
important  of  these  was  Nickajack  Cave,  the  entrance  of  which 
was  only  about  one-half  mile  from  our  camp.  From  it  flowed 
a  considerable  creek  which  was  navigable  for  canoes  a  distance 
of  a  mile  under  the  mountain.  One  day  Colonel  Poteet,  Cap- 


WILLIAM    TYSON, 
COMPANY   D. 


AT  SHELL  MOUND.  193 

tain  Hayes  and  Lieutenant  Royse  made  a  partial  exploration 
of  the  cave,  spending-  the  entire  day  wandering  through  its 
wonderful  passages  and  caverns.  Some  chambers  passed 
through,  hung  with  immense  stalactites,  were  both  grand  and 
beautiful.  After  several  miles  of  such  caverns  had  been 
passed,  they  seemed  at  the  end,  when  a  narrow  passage  was 
discovered  just  large  enough  to  allow  a  man  to  pass  through 
it  and  leading  downward  at  an  angle  of  about  45  degrees.  At 
a  depth  of  one  hundred  feet  or  more,  this  passage  opened  out 
into  an  immense  cavern,  three  or  four  hundred  feet  wide  and  a 
half  mile  or  more  in  length,  with  ceiling  a  hundred  feet  or 
more  in  height  at  places.  The  bottom  was  nearly  level  and 
covered  with  fine  sand,  washed  in  bars,  as  commonly  seen  in 
river  beds,  but  was  perfectly  dry  and  there  was  no  indication  of 
any  recent  flow  of  water.  A  sense  of  loneliness  came  over  the 
party  as  they  looked  about  and  saw  no  footmarks,  except  their 
own — being  perhaps  the  first  human  beings  that  had  ever 
entered  that  chamber — and  realized  that  they  were  several 
miles  from  the  entrance,  with  1,200  feet  of  rocks  above  them. 
One  of  the  features  of  our  camp  life  at  Shell  Mound  was 
the  numerous  boxes  received  from  home.  What  a  joy  such 
visitors  were  to  the  happy  recipients,  and  even  to  the  whole 
mess  to  which  they  belonged !  The  ordinary  routine  of  hard- 
tack, fat  pork  and  coffee,  with  occasional  soup  thickened  with 
desiccated  vegetables,  was  very  tiresome.  There  was  a  won- 
derful craving  for  a  change — anything  for  a  change.  But 
think  of  the  delight  at  receiving  a  good  large  box  filled  with 
cake,  jellies,  jams,  fruits  and  the  like.  All  the  friends  were 
sure  of  a  portion.  There  had  been  a  general  quiet  all  along 
the  line  after  the  battles  about  Chattanooga.  The  time  was  oc- 
cupied in  getting  ready  for  the  forward  movement  in  the 
spring.  Many  of  the  old  regiments  had  reached  the  end  of 
their  terms  of  enlistment.  Most  of  them  "veteranized",  re- 
enlisted  for  another  term  of  "three  years  or  during  the  war". 
The  rule  was  to  give  all  such  a  "veteran  furlough"  and  let 
them  visit  home  before  beginning  the  new  term.  In  this  way 
our  department  was  kept  reduced  in  numbers  "present  for 
duty"  the  greater  part  of  the  winter. 


194  MARCH  TO  BLUE  SPRINGS- 

General  Bragg  had  been  relieved  of  the  command  of  the 
Confederate  army  in  our  front,  and  on  December  i8th  Gen. 
Jospeh  E.  Johnston  assumed  command.  With  headquarters 
at  Dalton,  General  Johnston  at  once  began  the  most  active 
preparations  for  the  spring's  operations.  He  also  spent  the 
winter  in  improving  and  strengthening  his  army.  In  the 
latter  part  of  January  our  division,  now  again  in  command 
of  Brig.-Gen.  Charles  Cruft,  was  ordered  to  take  position  near 
Cleveland,  and  the  second  and  third  divisions  of  our  corps, 
which  had  spent  the  late  fall  and  winter  in  East  Tennessee, 
were  ordered  down  to  the  same  vicinity. 

On  January  26th  the  H5th,  together  with  the  rest  of  our 
brigade  left  Shell  Mound,  passed  through  Chattanooga  on  the 
3Oth,  camped  a  day  or  two  at  Tyner's  Station  and  on  February 
3d  moved  on  to  Ooltawah,  and  thence  on  the  5th  and  6th  to 
Blue  Springs,  five  or  six  miles  south  of  Cleveland  on  the  line 
of  the  Georgia  Railroad.  As  the  division  moved  over  the  hills 
into  the  valley  and  marched  to  the  camping  grounds  of  the 
various  commands  at  Blue  Springs  it  made  a  splendid  show. 
Some  loyal  Tennesseeans  stood  looking  at  the  approaching 
columns  were  amazed  at  the  numbers,  and  were  heard  to  ex- 
claim, "No  wonder  the  South  is  overrun !"  "See  the  hordes 
of  bluecoats !"  "There  is  no  end  to  them !"  It  was  really  a 
splendid  division,  and  to  persons  not  accustomed  to  seeing 
large  bodies  of  soldiers,  it  doubtless  appeared  a  great  host. 
General  Whitaker  being  absent,  Colonel  Moore  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  brigade,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Poteet  being  in  com- 
mand of  the  regiment.  The  regiment  was  soon  in  quarters  as 
comfortable  as  usual.  We  were  in  a  loyal  community,  and 
all  were  glad  to  avail  themselves  of  the  market  our 
troops  made  for  their  produce.  We  were  equally  delighted 
at  having  our  messes  occasionally  furnished  with  the  country 
supplies. 

The  Confederate  army  was  concentrated  in  the  vicinity  of 
Tunnel  Hill  and  Dalton,  as  proved  by  a  reconnaissance  made 
by  General  Palmer  in  the  latter  part  of  January,  hence  Dal- 
ton was  our  objective  point.  Though  actively  strengthening 
his  position,  and  doing  all  in  his  power  to  increase  the  effec- 


MARCH  TO  RINGGOLD.  195 

tiveness  of  his  force,  General  Johnston  was  on  the  defensive. 
On  the  other  side  General  Grant  was  steadily  moving-  out 
his  lines  and  with  all  possible  energy  was  preparing  for  an 
aggressive  forward  movement.  The  veteran  regiments  were 
returning  to  duty  with  many  accessions  from  raw  recruits, 
as  well  as  discharged  men  reentering  the  service  after  recov- 
ery from  sickness  and  wounds.  General  Grant  wanted  to  pre- 
vent Johnston  from  giving  even  temporary  assistance  to  the 
Confederates  in  other  departments.  He  also  wanted  more 
exact  knowledge  of  the  force  and  position  of  the  Confeder- 
ates, and  that  they  should  be  kept  busy.  For  these  purposes, 
he  ordered  General  Palmer  to  make  a  demonstration  upon 
the  enemy's  position.  Our  division,  Gen.  Charles  Cruft  com- 
manding, was  ordered  to  join  Palmer's  corps  with  Long's  cav- 
alry near  Catoosa  Springs  and  Ringgold,  and  participate  in 
the  movement. 

Washington's  birthday  was  celebrated  by  the  forward  move- 
ment of  our  effective  force,  while  the  quartermaster's  de- 
partment and  hospital  with  sick  and  convalescent,  were  sent 
to  Cleveland  for  safety.  Red  Clay  was  occupied  that  night  by 
our  division,  the  I4th  corps  being  at  Ringgold.  The  23d 
brought  the  two  wings  together  at  Tunnel  Hill,  the  Confed- 
erates being  driven  through  Buzzard's  Roost  Gap  after  some 
brisk  skirmishing.  Occasional  skirmishing  continued 
through  the  24th,  at  one  time  portions  of  our  di- 
vision reaching  a  point  within  three  miles  of  Dai- 
ton.  On  the  25th  a  heavy  line  of  Confederate  infantry 
appeared  in  our  front,  showing  clearly  that  the  enemy  had  a 
superior  force  and  was  prepared  for  any  attack  we  could  make. 
The  purpose  of  the  demonstration  had  been  accomplished,  and 
after  spending  the  day  in  such  skirmishing  as  would  develop 
the  actual  position  and  strength  of  the  enemy  our  command 
returned  to  Blue  Springs,  while  the  I4th  corps  resumed  its 
position  at  Ringgold  and  vicinity.  The  loss  in  our  brigade 
was  i  killed,  29  wounded  and  4  missing,  the  total  loss  of  the 
division  being  74.  General  Cruft  handled  the  division  in  ex- 
cellent style,  as  did  General  Palmer  the  expedition. 


196  CHANGES  IN  COMMANDERS. 

On  returning  to  Blue  Springs  the  H5th  went  into  camp  on 
a  hill  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  east  of  the  former  position. 
Our  camp  was  in  plain  view  of  the  range  of  mountains  sepa- 
rating Tennessee  from  North  Carolina.  It  was  interesting  to 
see  the  snow  on  the  mountains  glistening  in  the  sun,  while 
the  buds  were  bursting  forth  in  the  forests,  and  all  was  spring- 
like in  the  vicinity  of  our  camp.  On  the  22d  of  March  we  had 
a  better  appreciation  of  the  mountain  climate,  in  a  fall  of  snow 
to  the  depth  of  ten  inches.  The  trees  were  then  green  and  the 
forests  fragrant  from  the  honeysuckles  and  azaleas  blooming  in 
great  abundance.  The  next  morning  the  sun  came  out  warm 
as  before,  and  before  night  the  snow  was  gone.  Winter  and 
summer  thus  brought  together  presented  a  remarkable 
spectacle. 

About  this  time  many  changes  occurred  in  our  commanders. 
General  Grant  having  been  promoted  to  the  rank  of  lieuten- 
ant-general, created  by  special  act  of  Congress,  in  recognition 
of  his  splendid  victories  in  the  battles  about  Chattanooga,  on 
the  I2th  of  March  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  armies 
of  the  United  States.  At  the  same  time  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman 
was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Military  Division  of  the 
Mississippi,  while  Maj.-Gen.  J.  B.  McPherson  succeeded  to 
the  command  of  the  Department  of  the  Tennessee.  Maj.-Gen. 
H.  W.  Halleck,  on  surrendering  the  command  of  the  armies 
of  the  United  States,  was  made  General  Grant's  chief-of-staff. 

On  the  4th  of  April  the  nth  and  I2th  corps  were  consoli- 
dated as  the  2Oth  army  corps,  and  placed  under  the  command 
of  Maj.-Gen.  Joseph  Hooker.  Maj.-Gen.  O.  O.  Howard,  for- 
merly of  the  nth  corps,  succeeded  Major-General  Granger  in 
the  command  of  the  4th  corps.  Maj.-Gen.  John  M.  Schofield 
was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  23d  corps,  Maj.-Gen. 
Philip  H.  Sheridan  having  been  transferred  to  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  Maj.-Gen.  John  Newton  was  placed  in  command  of 
Sheridan's  old  division.  Maj.-Gen.  George  Stoneman  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  cavalry  corps.  About  that  time 
Maj.-  Gen.  D.  S.  Stanley  returned  and  resumed  command  of 
the  division,  and  Brig.-Gen.  Charles  Cruft  resumed  command 


JUDGE  CHARLES  C.  McCOMAS. 
FIRST  LIEUTENANT  COMPANY  F. 


IN  CAMP  AT  BLUE  SPRINGS.  197 

of  the  first  brigade  of  our  division.  Brig.-Gen.  W.  C.  Whita- 
ker  had  also  returned  to  his  command. 

The  stay  on  Red  Hill  near  Blue  Springs  was  quite  a  pleasant 
one  for  the  H5th.  It  was  the  time  of  year  most  pleasant  in 
that  latitude.  The  people  in  the  vicinity  were  as  agreeable  as 
possible ;  most  of  them  were  devoted  Unionists  and  seemed 
pleased  to  have  us  there,  and  soon  many  of  the  boys  made 
pleasant  acquaintances  among  the  girls  of  the  neighborhood. 
While  at  Blue  Springs  the  division  was  given  a  thorough 
course  in  target  practice.  In  this  the  regiment  would  be  drawn 
up  in  line  opposite  a  line  of  targets  the  size  of  a  man.  In  front 
of  each  target  was  a  pit  deep  enough  to  hide  a  man,  whose  duty 
it  was  to  note  and  mark  the  shots.  The  men  in  a  company 
would  take  turns  firing,  each  shot  being  thus  marked  as  deliv- 
ered. A  company  in  that  manner  would  make  three  or  four 
rounds  firing  in  a  forenoon's  practice.  The  practice  began  at 
a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the  targets,  and 
was  gradually  increased  until  a  distance  of  perhaps  four  hun- 
dred yards  was  reached.  A  record  of  the  best  shots  was  made 
and  reported  from  the  various  regiments  to  division  headquar- 
ters. The  boys  of  the  i  I5th  took  pride  in  the  fact  that  Orderly 
Sergt.  J.  M.  Martin  of  Company  E  made  the  best  average  of 
all  in  the  entire  division. 

By  May  ist  the  Department  of  the  Cumberland  was  well 
equipped  for  the  proposed  forward  movement.  The  4th  corps, 
Major-General  Howard  commanding,  was  in  the  vicinity  of 
Cleveland ;  the  I4th,  Gen.  John  M.  Palmer  commanding,  was 
in  front  of  Chattanooga  and  near  Ringgold,  while  the  2Oth 
corps,  Gen.  Joe  Hooker  commanding,  was  in  Lookout  Valley. 
The  three  divisions  of  our  4th  corps  were  commanded  by  Gen- 
erals Stanley,  Newton  and  Wood,  respectively.  The  brigade 
commanders  in  numerical  order,  in  the  several  divisions,  were : 
First  division,  Cruft,  Whitaker,  Grose ;  second  division,  F. 
T.  Sherman,  Wagner,  Harker ;  third  division,  Willich,  Hazen, 
S.  Beatty. 

Our  second  brigade  retained  our  favorite  quartette,  the  4Oth, 
Ohio,  84th  Indiana,  96th  and  H5th  Illinois,  with  the  2ist  Ken- 
tucky, 35th  Indiana,  5ist  and  99th  Ohio.  The  Army  of  the 


198  IN  CAMP  AT  BLUE  SPRINGS. 

Cumberland  then  had  something  over  60,000  effective  men. 
In  addition  to  this  splendid  army  General  Sherman  had  with 
him  for  his  proposed  campaign,  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee, 
24,500  men  under  Maj.-Gen.  J.  B.  McPherson,  and  the  Army 
of  the  Ohio,  13,500  men,  under  Maj.-Gen.  J.  M.  Schofield,  mak- 
ing a  grand  total  of  nearly  100,000  men.  At  that  time  the 
Confederates  in  our  front,  under  the  command  of  Gen.  Joseph 
E.  Johnston,  with  headquarters  at  Dalton,  numbered  but  little 
more  than  50,000  present  for  duty.  This  force  was  rapidly  in- 
creased, however,  until  by  June  loth  more  than  80,000  men 
were  in  the  struggle  to  check  our  advance. 


CHAPTER   XV. 


BLUE  SPRINGS  TO   RESACA. 

On  the  2d  and  3d  of  May,  1864,  General  Sherman's  splendid 
army  broke  camp  and  began  the  memorable  Atlanta  campaign. 
The  Army  of  the  Tennessee  moved  out  on  the  right  via  Lee  & 
Gordon's  Mills,  Palmer's  I4th  corps  moved  forward  from 
Ringgold,  while  our  4th  corps  marched  out  from  Cleveland 
and  vicinity  by  way  of  Catoosa  Springs,  all  directed  towards 
the  enemy's  stronghold  at  Dalton.  The  march  of  the  H5th 
from  Blue  Springs  to  Catoosa  Springs  was  without  special 
interest.  It  was  apparent  to  all  that  we  should  soon  meet  the 
enemy  in  battle  or  compel  his  retreat.  Capt.  James  A.  Whita- 
ker  was  under  arrest  for  some  youthful  indiscretion,  but  in- 
sisted on  remaining  with  the  regiment,  though  deprived  of 
his  command,  saying  he  would  fight  with  a  musket  if  not  per- 
mitted to  command  his  company.  Finding  he  could  not  in- 
duce the  captain  to  go  to  the  rear,  the  colonel  made  a  strong 
effort  to  have  him  released  at  least  temporarily.  Many  signal 
messages  were  waved  by  the  flags  between  the  headquarters 
of  Generals  Stanley,  Howard  and  Thomas,  until  finally  the 
answer  came  from  General  Thomas,  "Restore  him  to  duty, 
and  if  he  behaves  well  as  a  soldier  in  battle  I  will  take  care  of 
the  charges".  The  result  was  that  nothing  further  was  heard 
of  the  "charges",  as  the  captain's  conduct  in  the  battles  that 
followed  was  all  that  could  be  asked. 

We  found  Catoosa  Springs,  about  six  or  seven  miles  from 
Tunnel  Hill,  a  delightful  place  for  camping  for  the  two  days 
we  were  permitted  to  rest  there.  The  springs,  thirty-one  in 
number,  broke  out  of  the  earth  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  sur- 
rounding a  little  valley  in  which  were  situated  a  hotel  and  a 
large  number  of  cottages.  The  place  had  been  a  noted  resort 


200  BATTLE  OF  ROCKY  FACED  RIDGE. 

before  the  war.  The  various  springs  had  names  indicating 
the  particular  mineral  predominating  in  them,  thus  the  white 
sulphur,  yellow  sulphur,  iron,  chalybeate,  etc.  One  spring 
only  was  without  a  name,  because  its  waters  had  no  special 
quality.  Once  when  many  Southerners  were  there  and  only 
one  "Yankee"  among  them,  he  was  bantered  to  show  his 
"smartness"  by  selecting  an  appropriate  name  for  the  nameless 
spring.  He  promptly  responded,  by  writing  on  the  board  that 
had  been  prepared  for  it,  "Chautmobousga".  Of  course  its 
meaning  was  the  next  question,  and  it  took  two  whole  years 
for  those  fashionable  southerners  to  discover  that  the  Yankee 
name  was  composed  of  alternate  letters  of  the  words  "Ca- 
toosa"  and  "Humbug." 

As  the  various  army  corps  came  in  touch  in  their  approach 
to  Tunnel  Hill  the  whole  line  moved  forward  on  May  7th. 
The  Confederates  attempted  resistance  at  Tunnel  Hill,  but 
soon  gave  way  on  the  approach  of  the  4th  and  I4th  army  corps 
in  line  of  battle.  Their  next  stand  was  on  the  Rocky  Faced 
Ridge  and  at  Buzzard's  Roost  Gap.  General  Sherman's  plan 
was  to  make  a  strong  show  of  direct  attack  upon  Dalton,  hence 
Howard's  and  Palmer's  corps  were  at  once  pushed  forward 
in  line  of  battle  into  the  valley  near  the  Confederate  position. 
At  the  same  time  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  was  making  di- 
rectly for  Resaca  via  Snake  Creek  Gap,  some  twenty  odd 
miles  farther  south.  A  wonderfully  brilliant  exhibition  of 
fireworks  occurred  on  the  "face"  of  the  Rocky  Ridge,  about 
eleven  o'clock  at  night  on  the  8th.  To  keep  the  enemy  occu- 
pied, and  continue  the  play  of  direct  attack,  General  Sherman 
had  ordered  a  show  of  attack  that  night.  The  weather  was 
warm  and  cloudy  and  the  night  very  dark.  The  scene  that 
was  presented  when  the  enemy's  line  of  battle  along  the  brow 
of  the  ridge  opened  fire  and  gave  volley  after  volley  to  the 
foe  supposed  to  be  climbing  the  ridge,  may  be  imagined 
but  hardly  realized  in  its  grandeur,  as  we  saw  it  that  night 
from  the  valley  below.  In  these  feints  considerable  real  fight- 
ing occurred,  and  several  times  detachments  of  our  troops 
actually  reached  the  summit,  though  it  was  never  General 
Sherman's  intention  to  do  more  than  to  keep  the  enemy  busy 


BATTLE  OF  ROCKY  FACED  RIDGE.  201 

while  he  turned  the  position  by  the  movement  through  the 
gaps  farther  south. 

On  the  Qth  General  McPherson  passed  Snake  Creek  Gap 
and  appeared  before  Resaca,  but  he  found  that  place  well  de- 
fended, and  thought  it  prudent  to  fall  back  to  Snake  Creek 
Gap.  This  strengthened  Johnston's  impression  that  the  ob- 
jective was  Dalton,  so  he  retained  most  of  his  army  at  Dalton 
and  on  the  ridge.  We  remained  in  the  valley  watching  the 
gap  and  the  ridge,  and  from  their  position  on  the  mountain 
they  must  have  had  an  excellent  view  of  our  operations. 
Daily  skirmishing  and  watching  was  our  occupation  till  the 
night  of  the  I2th.  General  Johnston  had  finally  discovered 
Sherman's  plan,  and  hastily  withdrew  from  Dalton  and  con- 
centrated his  forces  at  Resaca,  to  meet  General  Sherman's  ad- 
vance, which  was  then  rapidly  pouring  through  Snake  Creek 
Gap.  The  greater  part  of  Sherman's  army  was  then  within 
striking  distance  of  Resaca,  General  McPherson  being  sup- 
ported by  Hooker's  and  Schofield's  corps.  On  the  morning 
of  the  I3th  a  thin  line  of  rebel  cavalry  was  all  that  hindered  our 
progress,  and  that  gave  way  on  the  first  approach.  Our  corps 
rapidly  moved  down  through  Buzzard  Roost  or  Millcreek  Gap, 
and  by  noon  was  passing  through  Dalton.  There  was  a  con- 
stant skirmish  between  our  advance  and  the  enemy's  rear 
guard,  just  enough  to  keep  us  on  the  alert,  but  no  determined 
resistance  at  any  time  during  the  day.  At  Tilton  some  of 
the  boys  of  the  H5th,  in  searching  the  post  office,  found  a 
newspaper  dated  the  previous  October,  which  gave  an  ac- 
count of  the  trial  and  shooting  of  our  brave  Henry  Roberts 
on  Lookout  Mountain  in  the  latter  part  of  September.  Night 
found  us  eight  or  ten  miles  south  of  Dalton  in  a  country  of 
occasional  cleared  fields  but  mostly  a  dense  forest.  It  was 
a  warm,  cloudy,  dark  night.  All  of  us  were  glad  of  a  chance 
to  rest.  A  strong  skirmish  line  was  thrown  forward,  the  enemy's 
skirmish  line  being  but  a  few  hundred  yards  beyond.  It  was 
Lieutenant  Royse's  luck  to  be  ordered  out  to  command  the 
line  in  front  of  the  second  brigade.  In  the  pitch  darkness  it 
was  quite  a  difficult  task  to  get  the  line  in  proper  position  so 
as  to  connect  with  those  of  other  commands  to  the  right  and 


202  MARCH  TO  RESACA. 

left.  Finally  the  line  was  adjusted  and  all  became  quiet. 
While  one-third  of  the  men  were  on  duty  the  other  two-thirds 
remained  at  the  reserve.  In  order  that  all  should  get  as  much 
rest  as  possible  the  reserve  was  permitted  to  lie  down  under 
arms  and  sleep,  with  the  order  that  if  an  attack  should  occur 
all  should  rally  to  the  support  of  the  outposts.  It  can  be 
imagined  how  soundly  those  boys  slept  that  warm  night  till 
about  three  in  the  morning  when  a  detachment  of  rebel  cav- 
alry rode  into  our  line,  and  then  how  quickly  every  man 
sprang  to  his  feet  and  dashed  forward  through  the  darkness 
and  brush  to  the  sound  of  the  muskets  in  front.  The  reception 
was  more  than  the  rebels  expected  and  they  hastily  sought  the 
company  of  their  comrades.  The  skirmish  had  been  sufficient, 
however,  to  put  our  brigade  in  line  of  battle  ready  for  our 
support.  After  that,  all  was  quiet  again  and  soon  every  man 
not  on  duty  was  again  asleep. 

On  Saturday  morning,  the  I4th,  our  corps  moved  on  south- 
ward toward  Resaca,  the  second  brigade  in  advance  with  the 
1 1 5th  at  the  head  of  the  column.  A  brigade  of  cavalry  served 
as  an  advance  guard  and  opened  the  way  for  our  progress.  At 
the  same  time  the  other  four  corps  of  Sherman's  army,  under 
McPherson,  Hooker,  Palmer  and  Schofield,  were  rapidly  ap- 
proaching Resaca  from  the  .west.  The  village  of  Resaca  is 
situated  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Oostanaula  River,  16  miles 
south  of  Dalton.  The  Oostanaula  is  formed  by  the  junction, 
a  few  miles  above  Resaca,  of  the  Cosawattee  from  the  east 
and  the  Connasauga  from  the  north.  At  Resaca  the  course 
of  the  Oostanaula  is  from  east  to  west,  but  immediately  below 
the  village  it  turns  south  and  by  a  long  bend  almost  touches 
Calhoun,  a  half  dozen  miles  south  of  Resaca.  The  Chattoo- 
gata  Mountains  extend  nearly  north  and  south  about  six  miles 
west  of  the  Dalton  and  Resaca  road,  the  northern  part  being 
known  as  Rocky  Faced  Ridge,  the  only  passes  being  Buz- 
zard Roost  Gap  on  the  road  from  Tunnel  Hill  to  Dalton,  Dug 
Gap  six  or  eight  miles  farther  south,  and  Snake  Creek  Gap 
about  six  miles  nearly  west  of  Resaca. 

General  Johnston's  army  occupied  a  line  of  hills  two  to  three 
miles  from  Resaca  extending  from  the  river  southwest  of  the 


FRAME  BUILDING — REGIMENTAL  HEADQUARTERS  AT  RESACA,  GA. 
CABIN  —  REGIMENTAL  AND  POST  HEADQUARTERS  AT  SHELL 
MOUND,  TENN. 


204  BATTLE  OF  RESACA. 

village  north  and  east  in  a  semicircle  to  the  Georgia  &  At- 
lantic R.  R.  The  wagon  road  from  Dalton  to  Resaca  passed 
these  hills  about  a  third  of  a  mile  west  of  the  railroad. 

The  battle  began  at  the  advance  of  the  Army  of  the  Ten- 
nessee across  Camp  Creek  early  on  the  I4th.  Very  severe 
fighting  followed  which  extended  to  the  left,  involving  Hook- 
er's, Palmer's  and  Schofield's  corps.  Our  division,  the  first 
of  the  4th  corps,  Maj.-Gen.  D.  S.  Stanley  commanding,  occu- 
pied the  extreme  left,  while  Wood's  and  Newton's  divisions 
were  on  another  road  some  distance  to  our  right.  As  our 
column  reached  a  point  some  four  miles  from  Resaca  our  cav- 
arly  advance  met  a  strong  force  of  the  enemy,  cavalry  and  in- 
fantry, which  proved  too  strong  for  them.  Quickly  the  H5th 
was  thrown  forward  into  line,  supported  by  the  rest  of  the 
brigade,  moved  forward  in  line  of  battle  with  skirmishers  in 
advance.  As  quickly  the  Confederates  fell  back  to  their  sup- 
ports. By  that  time  our  entire  corps  was  in  line  of  battle  con- 
necting on  the  right  with  Schofield's  corps  and  completing 
the  Union  line. 

Cruft's  brigade,  the  first,  occupied  a  hill  to  the  left  of  the 
road,  his  left  refused  so  as  to  face  eastward,  and  constituted 
the  extreme  left  of  our  army.  Whitaker's  brigade  came  next 
extending  from  the  summit  of  the  round  hill  occupied  by 
Cruft's  right,  across  the  road  in  the  hollow  and  to  the  top 
of  the  hill  on  the  right,  General  Grose's  brigade  being  still 
farther  to  the  right.  The  H5th  was  on  the  left  of  Whitaker's 
brigade,  adjoining  the  3ist  Indiana,  which  occupied  Cruft's 
right.  The  left  of  the  H5th  was  on  the  highest  part  of  the 
hill;  the  line  of  the  3ist  Indiana  was  at  an  obtuse  angle  with 
ours  and  for  want  of  room  its  right  lapped  our  left  by  the 
length  of  a  company,  it  being  thirty  paces  to  our  rear.  While 
in  that  position  we  could  distinctly  hear  the  movements  of  the 
enemy  in  our  front.  It  was  apparent  to  all  that  the  Confed- 
erates were  massing  a  large  force  on  that  part  of  their  line 
with  the  view  of  turning  our  left.  In  order  to  meet  them  Gen- 
eral Stanley  called  for  reenforcements  and  at  that  moment 
Williams'  division  of  Hooker's  corps  was  rapidly  coming  to 
our  assistance.  The  enemy's  skirmishers  soon  appeared  in  our 


BATTLE  OF  RESACA.  205 

front,  skulking  through  the  brush  carrying  their  guns  at  a 
trail.  Some  thought  them  deserters;  we  thought  otherwise 
and  opened  fire  on  them.  A  number  fell,  one  too  far  advanced 
to  escape  was  captured,  and  the  rest  hastened  back  into  their 
line.  The  one  poor  fellow  we  captured  was  greatly  exercised 
for  a  while,  for  after  he  had  thrown  up  his  hands  and  we  had 
ceased  firing  the  3ist  Indiana  on  our  left  continued  firing  for 
a  minute  or  so,  greatly  to  his  discomfort.  Seeing  the  exposed 
position  of  the  left  of  the  regiment,  Colonel  Moore  hastily  or- 
dered that  wing  back  to  the  line  of  the  3ist,  at  the  same  time 
moving  a  little  to  the  right  to  make  room.  Scarcely  was  the 
movement  completed  when  the  Confederate  line  of  battle — 
two  ranks  deep — composed  of  Stewart's  and  Stevenson's  di- 
visions, a  force  more  than  four  times  as  great  as  the  brigade 
and  a  half  that  confronted  them,  came  in  sight  and  opened  a 
furious  fire  upon  us.  It  seemed  a  sheet  of  flame  along  their 
whole  line,  as  volley  after  volley  came  from  them.  We  had 
barely  time  to  return  a  few  volleys  when  they  were  upon  us, 
yelling  like  Indians.  Cruft's  brigade  gave  way  and  the  left 
wing  of  the  ii5th  followed.  As  we  crossed  the  road  in  the 
valley  an  effort  was  made  to  reform  our  lines  and  resist  their 
further  advance,  but  a  glance  up  the  hill  toward  the  position 
we  had  left  revealed  only  an  advancing  line  of  fire  too  heavy 
to  withstand.  The  5th  Indiana  Battery  was  in  good  position 
on  the  hill  to  our  rear  waiting  for  a  clear  front.  They  seemed 
to  be  inviting  us  to  come  to  them ;  at  least  we  went,  some- 
what in  advance  of  the  rebel  line  that  was  rapidly  following 
us.  They  had  failed  to  notice  our  right  wing  on  the  knob  to 
the  right  of  the  road,  but  swept  past  in  pursuit  of  our  left 
wing  and  the  first  brigade.  As  we  went  up  the  hill  several 
attempts  were  made  to  make  a  stand,  but  nothing  could  be 
done  against  such  odds.  When  the  summit  was  reached  and 
the  front  of  the  battery  was  cleared  the  Confederates  were 
coming  at  a  rapid  rate.  It  was  just  as  they  entered  an  opening 
that  gave  a  good  view  that  Captain  Simonson's  5th  Indiana 
Battery  opened  upon  them  with  grape  and  canister,  with  tell- 
ing effect.  It  was  a  most  exciting  affair.  The  left  wing  of  the 
1 1 5th  to  the  right  of  the  battery  and  Cruft's  brigade  to  the 


206  BATTLE  OF  RESACA. 

left,  hastily  making  breastworks  of  logs  and  from  such  protec- 
tion pouring  a  withering  musketry  fire  into  their  approach- 
ing enemy,  too  busy  to  see  the  approach  from  their  rear  of 
Williams'  division  of  Hooker's  corps  which  was  coming  at 
more  than  double-quick  with  the  gallant  "Fighting  Joe" 
Hooker  in  the  lead.  As  the  general  approached  the  battery 
he  shouted,  "Give  them  canister,  boys,  the  2Oth  corps  is  com- 
ing to  help".  While  the  opinion  has  been  expressed  by  high 
authority  that  the  5th  Indiana  Battery  and  its  own  infantry 
supports  would  alone  have  checked  the  rebel  advance,  the  ar- 
rival of  Williams'  division  at  that  moment  was  a  wonderful 
relief.  A  moment  more  and  the  enemy  was  retreating  across 
the  hollow  and  over  the  hill  beyond  much  faster  than  he  had 
come.  In  the  meantime  the  right  of  the  regiment,  under  com- 
mand of  Capt.  F.  L.  Hays,  maintained  its  position  on  the  hill 
to  the  right  of  the  road,  though  vigorously  attacked  from  the 
south  by  a  strong  force  of  the  enemy.  That  ended  the  battle 
of  the  I4th. 

The  1 1 5th  slept  that  night  on  the  slope  of  the  hill  in  front 
of  the  position  occupied  by  the  battery,  each  soldier  with  his 
gun  at  his  side  ready  for  action.  At  daybreak  on  the  I5th, 
Company  A  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Slaughter  of  Company 
H,  temporarily  assisted  by  Lieutenant  Royse  of  Company  E, 
was  ordered  onto  the  skirmish  line  in  position  a  little  in  the 
rear  of  that  occupied  byCruft's  brigade  and  the  n  5th  the  even- 
ing before.  Quiet  prevailed  nearly  all  the  morning  except  an 
occasional  exchange  of  shots  by  the  skirmishers,  the  time  be- 
ing occupied  in  getting  ready  for  the  work  of  the  day.  Our  di- 
vision was  put  in  line  on  the  hills  to  the  right  of  the  road  and 
Hooker's  corps  was  given  the  left  of  the  line  including  the 
road  and  the  scene  of  our  fight  the  evening  before.  The 
skirmishers  had  received  no  notice  of  these  changes  and  were 
not  a  little  surprised  to  see  General  Butterfield's  division  of 
Hooker's  corps  moving  through  their  line  to  the  front  about 
nine  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Lieutenant  Royse  being  in 
charge  of  the  reserve  at  the  road,  inquired  of  General  Butter- 
field  if  our  detachment  should  report  to  our  regiment,  as  we 
seemed  to  be  relieved  of  duty  as  skirmishers,  to  which  he  re- 


BATTLE  OF  &ESACA.  207 

plied,  "Your  division  has  changed  position  and  is  now  a  mile 
distant  to  the  right.  You  could  not  find  it  if  you  tried".  Be- 
ing asked  for  orders,  he  directed  the  line  to  remain  as  it  was, 
and  to  stop  all  stragglers  not  wounded  who  might  be  found 
going  to  the  rear  and  order  them  back  to  the  front.  The 
brigades  commanded  by  Generals  Benjamin  Harrison  and 
John  Coburn  were  in  advance.  They  moved  down  the  road 
through  the  gap  to  the  right  of  the  position  occupied  by  the 
1 1 5th  at  the  time  of  the  attack  the  evening  before  and  at 
once  assaulted  with  great  fury  the  enemy's  position  on  a  hill 
beyond,  which  was  occupied  by  a  strong  battery  well  sup- 
ported by  infantry.  As  those  brigades  crossed  the  field  in  the 
valley  and  charged  up  the  hill  they  met  a  most  terrific  fire 
of  musketry  and  artillery.  The  bullets  flew  fast  and  thick 
through  their  ranks  and  over  their  heads,  thousands  of  them 
reaching  far  beyond  our  skirmish  line  and  making  our  posi- 
tion almost  as  dangerous  as  the  front.  On  they  went  until 
almost  in  the  mouth  of  the  enemy's  guns,  when  the  greatly  su- 
perior numbers  behind  very  strong  earthworks  made  it  im- 
possible to  go  farther,  and  those  gallant  men  were  forced 
back  to  the  hills  we  had  formerly  occupied.  Naturally  great 
numbers  of  stragglers  were  hastening  to  the  rear  and  our  boys 
in  obedience  to  General  Butterfield's  order  did  excellent  serv- 
ice in  checking  their  course  and  directing  their  officers  to  take 
them  back  to  the  front.  One  of  the  generals  remarked  that 
our  skirmish  line  had  done  better  service  in  that  way  than  the 
same  number  of  men  could  possibly  have  done  in  the  hottest 
of  the  battle.  While  these  operations  were  going  on,  a  brisk  fire 
was  kept  up  nearly  all  along  our  line,  extending  to  the  extreme 
right.  General  McPherson  was  pressing  the  enemy's  left  and 
rear,  and  Generals  Schofield,  Palmer  and  Howard  were  giving 
a  vigorous  fight  on  their  part  of  the  line.  Though  not  so  de- 
structive as  in  Hooker's  front,  there  was  real  battle  almost 
all  day  on  our  entire  line.  The  night  of  the  I5th  our  regi- 
ment was  in  a  position  in  the  second  line  on  the  same  hill 
occupied  the  day  before  to  the  right  of  the  road,  with  five 
or  six  batteries  of  artillery  massed  in  our  front  on  the  crest,  and 
remained  there  under  arms  ready  for  an  attack  at  any  moment. 


208  OCCUPATION  OF  RESACA. 

Several  hours  of  quiet  enabled  the  men  to  get  into  a  sound 
sleep  which  they  enjoyed  until  near  midnight  when  the  whole 
park  of  artillery,  25  to  30  guns,  opened  on  the  enemy's  works 
and  brought  our  boys  to  their  feet  with  the  suddenness  of  a 
flash  of  lightning.  It  was  merely  intended  to  cover  an  attack 
by  Newton's  division  for  the  purpose  of  learning  if  the  Con- 
federates were  still  there.  After  a  few  rounds  the  artillery 
ceased  firing  and  we  again  laid  down  to  rest.  That  was  the 
end  of  the  battle  of  Resaca,  for  before  daylight  the  Confeder- 
ates were  in  full  retreat  and  soon  were  beyond  Resaca.  It  is 
difficult  to  state  the  losses  of  this  battle  as  the  reports  of  cas- 
ualties cover  a  period  of  two  or  three  months.  Perhaps  3,000 
to  3,500  for  each  side,  killed  and  wounded,  would  not  be  over- 
stating it.  First  Lieut.  Jacob  Porter  and  First  Sergt.  James 
B.  Berlin,  both  of  Company  F,  were  among  our  killed ;  the 
total  loss  of  the  H5th  was  about  25. 

Early  on  the  i6th  the  Union  army  began  pouring  through 
Resaca  and  across  the  Oostanaula  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy. 
McPherson's  Army  of  the  Tennessee  crossed  near  Calhoun 
and  took  the  lead.  Then  it  was  "on  to  Atlanta"  in  real  earnest. 
It  was  near  ten  o'clock  when  the  ii5th  halted  at  Resaca  and 
took  possession  of  the  place  as  its  garrison.  The  first  task, 
a  sickening  one  indeed,  was  gathering  up  the  dead  of  both 
armies  and  consigning  them  to  mother  earth.  It  was  no  in- 
considerable work  and  required  several  days  to  accomplish. 
On  that  first  night  after  the  battle  it  was  the  writer's  fortune 
to  be  on  duty  as  officer  of  the  guard  in  charge  of  the  picket 
line  on  the  hills  to  the  west  and  northwest  of  Resaca  which 
had  been  hotly  defended  by  the  Confederates  against  the  at- 
tacks of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee.  Many  of  the  enemy  had 
lost  their  lives  along  this  line,  and  were  still  lying  there.  As 
officer  of  the  guard,  it  was  his  duty  to  "make  the  rounds"  of 
the  guards,  a  distance  of  something  like  two  miles.  The  only 
light  to  guide  him  in  his  lonely  journey  was  that  given  by 
the  stars.  Climbing  over  fallen  timber  and  through  the  brush 
of  the  forest,  he  was  every  minute  or  two  confronted  with  the 
form  of  a  dead  Confederate,  some  lying  on  the  back  with  face 
turned  up,  others  bent  over  logs,  some  with  the  rifle  yet  clasped 


REV.  F.  D.  BAKER,  D.  D. 
COMPANY  B. 


OCCUPATION  OF  RESACA.  209 

in  their  hands: — all  as  they  had  fallen  in  the  roar  of  battle. 
Imagine  a  more  gruesome  task  or  one  more  harrowing  to  the 
imagination ! 

Another  duty  participated  in  by  the  H5th  was  the  gathering 
up  of  the  abandoned  muskets  and  other  war  material  from  the 
battle-field.  Several  thousand  stands  of  arms  were  thus 
brought  in  and  ricked  up  like  cord  wood  near  the  old  railroad 
depot.  The  railroad  bridge  across  the  Oostanaula,  consisting 
of  five  spans  supported  on  stone  piers,  had  been  destroyed 
by  the  Confederates  and  had  to  be  rebuilt  before  our  supply 
trains  could  pass  over.  It  was  late  that  Monday  afternoon, 
the  1 6th,  when  Sherman's  chief  engineer,  in  command  of  a 
regiment  of  engineers  and  mechanics,  arrived  on  the  ground 
and  began  work  on  the  bridge.  In  anticipation  of  such  work 
great  quantities  of  sawed  timber  and  other  suitable  lumber 
had  been  accumulated  at  Chattanooga  and  perhaps  many  cars 
were  already  loaded  and  ready  for  the  word.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
the  sound  of  the  battle  had  scarcely  died  away  when  train 
loads  of  bridge  material  were  speeding  toward  Resaca  and 
before  dark  hundreds  of  men  were  rushing  the  work  of  put- 
ting that  material  into  the  form  of  a  railroad  bridge. 

Before  leaving  Resaca  General  Sherman  asked  his  chief 
engineer  how  long  it  would  take  to  have  the  bridge  ready  for 
the  trains  to  pass  over  and  being  told  four  or  five  days,  the 
general  sharply  replied,  "I  will  give  you  until  Thursday 
night."  To  the  surprise  of  all,  the  commissary  trains  were 
rolling  over  that  bridge  several  hours  in  advance  of  the  gen- 
eral's limit.  The  general  knew  the  material  that  made  up  that 
regiment  of  engineers ;  it  was  organized  for  quick  work. 
With  the  completion  of  the  bridge  Resaca  became  a  way  sta^ 
tion  on  the  great  line  to  Atlanta.  The  H5th  in  command  of 
Colonel  Moore  was  left  alone  except  for  the  wounded  and 
sick  in  the  field  hospitals  and  their  force  of  surgeons  and  at- 
tendants. After  the  burial  of  the  dead  and  the  storing  of  the 
arms  we  had  only  the  routine  of  garrison  duty.  The  daily 
guard  duty,  policing  of  camp  and  similar  work  occupied  our 
time,  not  differing  much  from  our  camp  life  at  other  places 


210  OCCUPATION  OF  RESACA. 

except  that  we  were  required  to  be  constantly  on  the  alert 
and  the  men  were  not  allowed  to  go  far  from  camp. 

Capt.  Frank  L.  Hays  of  Company  F  had  been  promoted  to 
be  paymaster,  with  the  rank  of  major,  and  had  received  his 
commission  some  days  before  we  left  Blue  Springs.  A  battle 
was  then  expected  quite  soon  and  he  was  not  willing  to  leave 
his  company  until  he  had  been  in  battle.  So  he  left  his  major's 
commission  lie  in  abeyance  and  went  with  his  company 
through  the  thickest  of  the  fight  as  its  captain  and  command- 
er, remaining  with  it  until  no  more  battle  was  in  sight.  When 
he  found  the  regiment  established  in  garrison  duty  at  Resaca, 
he  cast  aside  his  captain's  shoulder  straps,  put  on  those  of  a 
major  and  severed  his  connection  with  the  regiment.  This 
left  Company  F  without  a  commissioned  officer,  Lieutenant 
Porter  having  been  killed  in  the  battle.  Lieutenant  Royse 
was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  company  until  new  of- 
ficers should  be  commissioned  and  qualified.  This  turned  out 
to  be  a  very  responsible  position,  for  it  carried  with  it  the 
command  of  a  section  of  artillery  in  charge  of  a  sergeant, 
which,  with  Company  F,  was  immediately  afterwards  assigned 
to  duty  as  the  garrison  of  the  fort  on  the  hill  on  the  east  side 
of  the  road  north  of  the  river,  which  commanded  the  bridge 
and  its  approaches.  It  was  a  strong  earthwork  constructed 
by  the  Confederates,  and  with  its  little  garrison  of  one  com- 
pany of  infantry  and  a  section  of  artillery  was  quite  safe 
against  the  attacks  of  several  times  their  number.  The  com- 
pany was  pleasantly  situated  and  enjoyed  duty  at  the  fort  until 
July  ist  with  only  one  little  disturbance  by  the  rebels.  It  was 
at  night,  as  usual,  after  all  but  the  sentries  were  quiet  in  slum- 
ber that  a  detachment  of  rebel  cavalry  rode  into  our  picket 
line.  Company  F  did  itself  credit  in  the  promptness  with 
which  it  responded  under  arms  for  action.  Our  picket  fire  was 
active  for  a  few  moments  and  sufficient  to  make  the  enemy 
hurry  away  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

Colonel  Moore's  headquarters  were  in  a  one-story  frame 
house,  the  best  of  the  village,  situated  on  a  knoll  a  hundred 
yards  east  of  the  station.  It  still  stands  as  a  monument  of 
the  war  days,  showing  many  marks  of  the  battle.  Company 


OCCUPATION  OF  RESACA.  211 

F's  fort  is  also  in  quite  good  preservation.  Thirty-five  win- 
ters and  summers  have  only  moderately  reduced  its  embank- 
ments. 

The  regiment  enjoyed  a  fine  exhibition  of  fireworks  during 
the  stay  at  Resaca,  which  came  about  in  an  amusing  manner. 
The  rebels  had  made  use  of  a  frame  church  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
west  of  headquarters  as  an  arsenal  and  it  was  still  piled  full  of 
artillery  ammunition,  mostly  percussion  shells  of  a  pattern 
not  serviceable  in  our  guns.  Being  of  no  value  to  us  and  re- 
garded as  a  menace  to  the  camp,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Poteet, 
then  in  command,  sought  information  of  a  West  Point  grad- 
uate, an  artillery  lieutenant,  as  to  the  best  means  of  getting 
rid  of  the  stuff.  The  lieutenant  replied,  "Set  fire  to  it."  "But 
would  it  not  cause  a  dangerous  explosion?"  "Oh,  no,"  said 
the  lieutenant,  and  went  on  with  a  scientific  dissertation  about 
the  impossibility  of  combustion  without  air,  and  as  the  shells 
were  sealed  air  tight  they  might  be  heated  red  hot  with  no 
danger  of  explosion.  The  lieutenant-colonel,  anxious  to  be 
convinced,  gave  permission  to  fire  the  church  and  burn  the 
rebel  ammunition,  and  soon  after  dark  that  night  the  flames 
were  seen  leaping  high  in  the  air.  Then  the  lieutenant  warned 
the  colonel  to  see  that  the  men  were  kept  at  a  safe  distance, 
for  his  "science"  was  likely  to  make  a  fine  exhibition.  At 
first  the  loose  powder  flashed  and  urged  on  the  fire,  then  the 
fire  went  on  more  quietly  and  the  shells  really  began  to  get  red 
hot,  and  the  red  iron  was  flying  in  every  direction,  sometimes 
looking  like  rockets  as  they  sailed  through  the  air.  At  first 
a  single  shell  at  a  time  with  short  intervals  between  exploded, 
then  several  at  orice,  then  by  the  dozens  following  in  rapid 
succession.  Thus  the  noise  and  the  spectacle  continued  until 
several  thousands  of  shells  were  disposed  of.  We  all  enjoyed 
it  and  laughed  at  the  lieutenant's  ruse  to  get  an  opportunity  to 
make  the  display. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


ATLANTA  AND  AFTER. 

The  Atlanta  campaign  went  straight  forward  after  the  bat- 
tle of  Resaca.  Howard's  4th  corps  with  Stanley's  division  in 
advance  led  in  the  pursuit,  the  other  corps  closely  following. 
The  Confederates  resisted  the  Union  advance  with  a  very 
strong  skirmish  line,  almost  like  a  line  of  battle,  and  occa- 
sionally so  stubbornly  held  their  ground  that  a  battle  seemed 
imminent.  Thus  almost  a  constant  skirmish  was  kept  up. 
General  Johnston  had  planned  to  make  a  stand  at  Cassville, 
but  finding  his  flanks  turned  moved  on  across  the  Etowah 
River  to  Altoona  Pass,  which  was  regarded  as  a  very  strong 
position.  In  the  meantime  Gen.  Jeff.  C.  Davis  with  his  divi- 
sion had  pressed  forward  to  Rome,  which  he  captured  without 
serious  opposition. 

On  May  23d  Sherman  crossed  the  Etowah  and  again  turned 
the  enemy's  flank,  moving  to  the  right  of  Altoona.  The  con- 
tinued skirmishing  was  resumed,  sometimes  almost  amount- 
ing to  a  battle.  The  engagement  on  the  24th  at  New  Hope 
Church  was  very  severe  and  the  loss  quite  heavy  on  both  sides. 
On  the  8th  of  June  Gen.  F.  P.  Blair  arrived  with  two  divisions 
of  the  i/th  corps,  9,000  strong.  The  Confederates  were  in 
strong  position  at  Kenesaw  Mountain  and  vicinity.  Here  a 
series  of  important  battles  were  fought,  continuing  from  day 
to  day  with  serious  loss  on  both  sides,  till  the  2d  of  July,  when 
the  Confederates  were  forced  out  of  their  works  and  continued 
their  retreat  upon  Atlanta.  On  the  5th  of  July  our  forces 
occupied  Marietta  and  on  the  I2th  Howard's  corps  began  to 
cross  the  Chattahoochie  River,  General  Johnston  having  fallen 
back  to  Atlanta.  On  the  2Oth  Howard's  and  Hooker's  corps 
were  furiously  assaulted  at  Peach  Tree  Creek,  the  battle  last- 
ing throughout  the  afternoon  and  resulting  in  the  repulse  of 


DEATH  OF  M'PHERSON..  213 

the  Confederates  at  all  points.  The  loss  was  very  heavy  on 
both  sides,  the  Union  killed  and  wounded  amounting  to 
1.600.  The  Confederate  loss  was  perhaps  greater,  as  200 
dead  were  found  in  front  of  Newton's  division  alone,  while 
nearly  400  prisoners  were  captured. 

The  2ist  of  July  was  spent  in  concentrating  our  forces  and 
getting  them  into  proper  position.  The  Union  left  under  Mc- 
Pherson  was  advanced  to  a  position  three  or  four  miles  east 
of  the  city.  Thomas  moved  his  corps  forward  fronting  the 
rebel  breastworks  north  of  the  city,  while  Schofield's  corps 
filled  the  space  to  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee.  The  Confeder- 
ates were  equally  active.  Hardee's  corps  withdrew  from 
the  line  in  the  night,  marching  through  the  city  and  thence 
south  and  east  until  the  morning  of  the  22d  found  it  in  posi- 
tion in  front  of  McPherson's  left  flank.  Dodge's  division  was 
returning  from  a  reconnaissance  towards  Decatur  marching  in 
column  of  fours  and  without  warning  that  a  full  corps  was  in 
line  of  battle  to  their  left.  But  being  tried  veterans,  at  the 
first  shot  our  boys  faced  to  the  left  in  a  good  line  of  battle  and 
at  once  went  into  action.  The  loud  roar  of  musketry  and 
artillery  quickly  called  General  McPherson  to  the  scene  and 
put  the  other  divisions  into  line  of  battle.  General  McPher- 
son first  galloped  forward  to  Dodge's  position,  and  seeing 
that  division  doing  fine  work,  he,  after  sending  the  most  of  his 
staff  off  with  orders  to  the  division  and  brigade  commanders, 
hastened  through  the  forest  with  his  two  remaining  staff 
officers  towards  Blair's  left.  It  happened  that  Cheatham's 
Confederate  division  was  just  then  approaching  at  that  point 
and  was  upon  him  before  their  approach  was  known.  He  gave 
no  heed  to  the  call  to  surrender,  but  wheeled  his  horse  and 
attempted  to  ride  out  of  the  trap,  only  to  fall  instantly  killed. 
One  of  his  orderlies  was  wounded  and  captured,  the  other 
escaping  to  carry  the  news  to  his  friends.  The  battle  raged 
furiously  till  night,  when  the  Confederates  again  yielded  the 
field.  The  losses,  however,  were  about  equal,  nearly  4,000 
on  each  side.  General  Logan,  as  senior  major-general,  had 
succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  till 
the  close  of  the  battle,  but  on  the  27th  the  President  assigned 


214  SPECIAL  SERVICE. 

Maj.-Gen.  O.  O.  Howard  to  that  command,  Maj.-Gen.  D.  S. 
Stanley  of  our  division  being  given  the  command  of  the  4th 
corps,  and  Brig.-Gen.  Nathan  Kimball  the  command  of  our 
division. 

Our  lines  immediately  drew  closer  around  Atlanta.  The 
Army  of  the  Tennessee  moved  around  to  the  right  and  took 
position  to  the  west  of  the  city  just  in  time  to  meet  the  Con- 
federates in  the  battle  of  Ezra  Church  on  the  28th.  Again 
the  enemy  gave  way  and  withdrew  to  the  protection  of  his 
works.  The  siege  was  now  on.  For  a  month  Hood  bravely 
held  his  defences.  All  that  time  our  line  was  pressing  closer 
and  closer  and  Sherman  had  been  gathering  strength  in  men 
and  supplies.  General  Hooker  had  resigned  the  command 
of  the  2Oth  corps,  to  be  succeeded  by  Maj.-Gen.  H.  W.  Slo- 
cum ;  General  Palmer  retired  from  the  command  of  the  i/j-th 
corps,  and  was  succeeded  by  Gen.  Jeff.  C.  Davis. 

On  August  25th  Sherman  resumed  active  operations.  While 
Thomas  was  moving  on  the  center  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee 
moved  around  to  the  right,  crossed  the  West  Point  Railroad 
and  by  the  3ist  engaged  the  enemy  at  Jonesboro.  Seeing  his 
communications  about  to  be  cut  off,  General  Hood  now  aban- 
doned Atlanta  and  hastened  into  the  interior  of  Georgia. 

In  all  this  campaign  the  4th  army  corps  took  a  most  con- 
spicuous part,  and  no  portion  of  it  did  better  service  than  the 
second  brigade  of  the  first  division.  Though  the  ii5th  had 
been  given  the  responsible  duty  of  taking  care  of  our  com- 
munications and  protecting  the  great  supply  line,  quite  a 
number  of  the  regiment  on  special  detail  were  in  the  front  all 
the  way.  Among  these  are  now  recalled  Lieut.  Philip  Riley 
of  Company  K,  in  command  of  a  company  of  pioneers,  and  J. 
W.  Long  of  Company  E,  an  orderly  on  the  brigade  staff. 
Early  in  July  the  1 1 5th  was  relieved  from  garrison  duty  at 
Resaca  and  ordered  to  Tunnel  Hill,  where  we  arrived  the 
next  day.  Shanties  were  made  from  material  taken  from 
abandoned  houses  and  fences,  the  colonel  took  up  headquar- 
ters in  the  village  hotel,  and  all  were  made  as  comfortable  as 
need  be.  Soon  after  that  Capt.  Charles  H.  Griffith  and  Lieut. 
Wallace  G.  Mills  of  Company  F  received  their  commissions 


DEATH  OF  DR.  JONES.  215 

and  entered  on  duty,  relieving  Lieutenant  Royse  from  com- 
mand of  that  company. 

Very  early  on  the  morning  of  the  nth  of  July  a  report  was 
brought  in  by  a  citizen  that  a  band  of  rebel  guerrillas  were 
crossing  the  country  west  of  town,  apparently  intending  to  cut 
the  railroad  bridge  about  two  miles  north  of  town.  The 
colonel  at  once  ordered  Lieutenant  Royse  with  Company  E 
to  make  double-time  up  the  railroad  and,  if  possible,  intercept 
them.  It  was  scarcely  sunrise  when  the  company  reached  the 
point  of  expected  mischief,  just  in  time  to  see  the  Confederates 
scampering  up  the  hill  to  the  right.  The  purpose  was  accom- 
plished, however,  for  the  appearance  of  the  company  had 
scared  the  rebels  away  before  any  serious  damage  was  done. 
The  company  at  once  made  pursuit,  but  with  the  usual  disad- 
vantages of  infantry  trying  to  follow  cavalry.  Their  route  led 
over  the  hills  to  the  valley  east  of  the  village,  where  it  was 
learned  that  the  rebels  had  made  their  escape  after  murdering 
Dr.  Jones.  Not  knowing  the  nearness  of  the  enemy  the  doc- 
tor with  a  few  assistants,  all  unarmed,  had  hurriedly  gone  to 
the  pastures  in  the  valley  to  bring  in  the  regimental  horses 
that  were  out  there  grazing.  As  they  were  hastening  toward 
camp  with  their  charge  the  rebel  band  came  dashing  into  the 
valley  right  upon  them.  Determined  to  make  his  escape  if 
possible,  Dr.  Jones  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  as  he  was  riding 
at  full  speed  attempted  to  make  his  horse  leap  a  wide,  deep 
ditch.  It  was  wider  than  he  had  counted  upon  and  his  horse 
fell  heavily  against  the  opposite  bank.  While  struggling  to 
free  himself  the  rebels  overtook  him  and,  though  seeing  his 
helpless  condition,  fired  upon  him,  inflicting  wounds  from 
which  he  died  soon  after.  After  taking  all  the  horses  they 
could  catch  and  capturing  one  or  two  men  the  rebels  hastily 
left  the  valley — going  southeast — just  in  time  to  avoid  a  con- 
test with  Company  E  which  was  rapidly  approaching. 

Not  long  after  our  arrival  at  Tunnel  H^ll  Company  H,  com- 
manded by  Capt.  John  H.  Reardon,  was  sent  up  the  road 
nearly  half  way  to  Ringgold,  where  it  remained  guarding  a 
railroad  bridge  nearly  all  the  time  the  regiment  was  at  the 
Hill.  This  company  also  had  quite  a  brush  with  the  same  band 


216  AT  TUNNEL  HILL. 

of  guerrillas,  Lieutenant  Hatfield  and  three  or  four  oth- 
ers being  captured.  About  the  same  time  Company  D, 
under  Capt.  Samuel  Hymer,  was  given  the  duty  of 
holding  the  blockhouse  in  Buzzard's  Roost  Gap.  That  left 
only  about  275  men  to  garrison  the  town  and  protect  the 
stock  of  quartermaster's  and  commissary  supplies  constantly 
accumulating  at  that  place  ready  to  be  forwarded  to  the  front. 
The  camp  duty  was  heavy  and  the  utmost  vigilance  was  re- 
quired. Yet  the  H5th  greatly  enjoyed  their  stay  of  nearly 
four  months  at  Tunnel  Hill.  The  natives  were  quite  friendly. 
Many  of  them  sympathized  with  the  Union  cause,  while  those 
of  the  most  extreme  rebel  spirit  wanted  to  be  friendly  for  the 
profit  they  might  derive  from  it.  Very  soon  a  lively  trade 
sprang  up  between  our  boys  and  the  citizens ;  coffee,  sugar, 
meat,  beans,,  rice,  etc.,  were  freely  exchanged  for  milk,  butter, 
eggs,  chickens,  vegetables,  fruit  and  the  like  from  the  neigh- 
boring farms.  One  of  the  most  frequent  visitors  to  the  camp 
for  that  purpose  was  a  bright  little  girl  of  ten  or  twelve  years, 
named  Trammel,  whose  father,  a  Confederate  colonel,  had 
been  killed  in  the  war.  Some  of  our  readers  may  be  glad  to 
know  that  she  is  still  living  at  Tunnel  Hill,  and  has  been  post- 
mistress for  a  number  of  years.  It  is  wonderful  how  quickly 
the  boys  of  the  H5th  made  themselves  at  home  and  the  quiet 
village  soon  felt  their  presence  in  many  ways.  The  colonel's 
mess  was  well  served  by  his  cook  from  the  hotel  kitchen. 
Many  other  officers  took  board  with  the  citizens.  Captain 
Whitaker,  Captain  Slocum,  Lieutenant  Royse  and  some  oth- 
ers took  meals  with  the  Tyrrell  family,  where  they  fairly 
feasted  on  chicken  pie,  sweet  potato  pie,  apple  dumplings  and 
other  dainties.  Mr.  Tyrrell  was  an  Irishman  and  generously 
loyal  to  his  adopted  country. 

The  Methodist  Church  was  at  once  occupied  by  Chaplain 
Crissey  without  the  formality  of  a  "call"  and  regular  services 
held,  including  the  midweek  prayer  meeting.  The  Masonic 
Lodge  Hall  was  temporarily  open  to  the  public  and  simply  to 
keep  it  from  going  to  waste  a  debating  society  was  organized 
and  regular  meetings  held,  both  to  the  profit  and  amusement 
of  its  members.  To  fill  in  the  off  time,  frequent  dances  were 


AT  TUNNEL  HILL.  217 

given,  in  which  the  ladies  of  the  village  joined.  With  such 
camp  life  the  little  matter  of  going  on  guard  every  second  or 
third  day  was  made  quite  tolerable.  Many  amusing  things 
occurred,  which  there  is  not  space  to  relate.  One  of  the  most 
laughable  was  a  mishap  that  occurred  to  one  of  the  young 
officers  at  dinner  at  the  colonel's  headquarters  when  General 
Sherman  and  some  other  prominent  generals  were  the  guests 
of  honor.  Some  one  told  an  amusing  story  at  which  all 
laughed  heartily,  none  more  than  the  young  man  in  question — 
till  his  false  teeth  fell  from  his  mouth  upon  his  plate.  Though 
very  funny  to  the  others,  the  accident  was  most  mortifying  to 
him. 

One  day  in  the  autumn  Captain  Rutherford  and  Lieutenant 
Utter  accompanied  two  young  ladies  chestnutting  on  the 
spurs  of  the  mountain  southeast  of  the  village,  some  two  or 
three  miles  away.  After  gathering  the  delicious  nuts  for  some 
time  they  became  thirsty  and  began  searching  for  a  spring. 
Captain  Rutherford  and  his  companion  being  some  three  hun- 
dred yards  in  advance  of  the  others  came  to  the  point  of  the 
ridge  where  a  spring  was  supposed  to  be  without  finding  it. 
With  the  view  of  searching  for  the  spring  the  captain  asked 
the  young  lady  to  remain  there  until  he  would  run  down  the 
hill  some  distance,  which  he  did  at  a  rapid  trot,  taking  a 
course  at  an  angle  about  45  degrees  from  the  direction  they 
had  come.  Lieutenant  Utter  seeing  the  captain  running  alone 
at  once  concluded  he  was  getting  away  from  a  squad  of  rebels, 
and  without  waiting  for  further  information,  he  turned  to  the 
young  woman  with  him,  saying,  "Here,  take  my  pocket-book ; 
I  can't  be  with  you  always,"  and  made  rapid  strides  after  the 
captain.  Of  course  it  was  too  good  to  keep,  and  the  story  was 
soon  known  in  the  regiment. 

The  ditching  of  a  train  or  the  tearing  up  of  a  piece  of  rail- 
road track  by  the  rebel  cavalry  was  a  frequent  occurrence. 
One  day  as  Company  E,  in  command  of  Lieutenant  Royse, 
wTas  returning  from  Company  D's  blockhouse  where  they  had 
escorted  a  load  of  supplies,  and  while  they  were  passing  a 
peach  orchard  loaded  with  luscious  peaches,  which  lay  between 
them  and  the  railroad,  a  train  was  seen  coming  around  the 


218  ATTACK   ON   DALTON. 

curve  from  the  tunnel.  Some  of  the  boys  wanted  to  gather  a 
portion  of  the  fruit,  but  the  lieutenant  caring  more  for  his 
duty,  kept  them  in  line.  A  moment  later  a  crash  was  heard, 
then  the  hissing  steam  from  the  ditched  locomotive,  quickly 
followed  by  shots  from  the  train  guards  and  the  band  of  rebels 
that  had  done  the  mischief.  Company  E  was  quickly  deployed 
as  skirmishers,  and  went  on  the  double-quick  to  the  rescue  of 
the  trainmen.  That  was  a  scene  in  the  play  not  counted  on  by 
the  rebels.  Wanting  plunder  rather  than  a  fight,  they  hastily 
took  to  the  woods  no  richer  than  before.  That  was  a  valuable 
object  lesson  to  Company  E  on  the  importance  of  strict  dis- 
cipline on  such  expeditions. 

On  the  I4th  of  August  we  had  more  than  usual  excitement. 
Gen.  Joe  Wheeler  with  a  force  of  about  three  thousand  cav- 
alry appeared  before  Dalton  on  the  other  side  of  Buzzard's 
Roost,  only  seven  or  eight  miles  away.  That  post  was  garri- 
soned by  the  2cl  Missouri  infantry  and  some  small  detachments 
from  other  regiments,  in  all  about  450  men,  commanded  by 
Colonel  Laiboldt.  To  General  Wheeler's  demand  of  immedi- 
ate surrender,  the  colonel  replied,  "I  have  been  placed  here  to 
defend  this  post,  not  to  surrender."  And  right  well  did  he 
defend  jt  against  Wheeler's  repeated  attacks  which  lasted 
through  the  afternoon  and  night,  till  that  noted  raider  gave  it 
up  as  a  bad  job  and  retreated  through  Buzzard's  Roost  Gap. 
In  the  meantime  a  dispatch  had  been  sent  to  General  Steed- 
man  at  Chattanooga  calling  for  reenforcements.  All  the  while 
the  1 1 5th  had  been  under  arms  awaiting  an  attack,  should 
Wheeler  take  Dalton.  About  midnight  a  special  train  brought 
five  regiments  from  Chattanooga,  with  General  Steedman  in 
command.  This  hastened  Wheeler's  departure  from  the 
neighborhood,  and  they  were  gone  before  our  infantry  could 
get  near  enough  to  hurt  them. 

The  Union  forces  were  now  in  possession  of  Atlanta  and 
encamped  all  around  the  city.  Sherman  was  again  recuper- 
ating and  supplying  his  army  for  the  next  campaign.  Of 
course  there  was  a  great  desire  among  the  officers  and  men 
of  the  1 1 5th  to  see  Atlanta.  Among  the  first  to  have  that  pleas- 
ure was  Colonel  Moore.  On  his  return,  the  regiment  assem- 


A  VISIT  TO  ATLANTA.  219 

bled  at  headquarters  and  eagerly  listened  to  a  speech  describ- 
ing the  jungles  through  which  the  Union  army  had  forced  its 
way,  the  seemingly  impregnable  fortifications  that  surrounded 
the  city  and  the  scenes  of  the  conflicts  of  the  2Oth  and  22d  of 
July.  A  little  later  Lieutenant  Royse  and  Orderly  Martin  of 
Company  E  were  given  a  pass  to  the  captured  city.  They 
found  the  city  in  total  darkness  at  night,  the  whole  population 
having  obeyed  Sherman's  orders  and  left  the  city,  excepting 
only  a  few  Union  families  who  remained  to  keep  boarders  for 
the  accommodation  of  our  officers.  Of  course  Royse  and 
Martin  put  up  at  the  great  hotel,  the  Trout  House,  but  the 
supper  of  boiled  beans,  hardtack  and  black  coffee  for  a  dollar 
made  them  hunt  other  quarters.  Fortunately  a  walk  of  a 
single  square  brought  them  to  one  of  those  Union  boarding 
houses,  at  which  General  Slocum  and  his  staff  were  the  prin- 
cipal guests.  Having  the  general's  orders  on  the  commissary, 
it  may  be  imagined  that  boarding  house  was  well  supplied. 
The  principal  residences  in  the  city  were  occupied  by  our 
generals  as  headquarters.  General  Sherman  occupied  a  large 
square  house  on  Peach  Tree  Street.  The  house  still  stands, 
and  with  its  large  columns  and  double  balconies  looks  much 
as  it  did  when  Uncle  Billy  was  planning  his  march  to  the  sea. 
While  Sherman  was  thus  engaged,  General  Hood  was  organ- 
izing his  forces  for  a  grand  raid  in  Sherman's  rear,  with  no 
less  an  objective  point  than  the  city  of  Nashville,  with  possible 
visions  of  a  feast  at  Louisville  or  farther  north. 

A  small  garrison  occupied  Altoona,  another  Kingston  and 
another  Resaca.  The  44th  U.  S.  colored  troops,  under  Colonel 
Johnson,  occupied  Dalton.  Captain  Hymer  and  Company  D 
"were  still  in  the  blockhouse  in  the  gap,  and  the  H5th  under 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Poteet  remained  at  Tunnel  Hill.  With- 
out help,  these  small  garrisons  would  have  been  no  obstacle 
to  Hood's  force  of  more  than  30,000  men.  However,  Uncle 
Billy  was  not  long  in  ignorance  of  the  scheme.  He  deter- 
mined to  take  care  of  it  without  altering  his  own  plans  for  the 
winter  picnic  in  Georgia.  He  therefore  ordered  the  4th  and 
23d  corps,  under  General  Thomas,  to  look  after  the  move- 
ments of  General  Hood  towards  the  north. 


220  HYMER'S  DEFENSE  OF  THE  BLOCKHOUSE. 

About  the  ist  of  October  General  Hood  crossed  the  Chat- 
tahoochie  and  rapidly  moved  north  along  the  railroad  towards 
Chattanooga,  capturing  Big  Shanty,  Ackworth  and  other 
posts  on  his  way.  On  the  5th  he  attacked  Altoona,  which  was 
gallantly  defended  by  General  Corse  with  a  few  regiments  of 
infantry  and  a  small  force  of  artillery.  By  that  time  Sherman 
was  thoroughly  aroused  by  Hood's  audacity,  and  was  in  pur- 
suit with  a  large  part  of  his  army.  At  the  time  of  the  attack 
on  Altoona  Sherman  had  reached  Kenesaw  Mountain  within 
sight  of  the  beleaguered  garrison  and  signaled  General  Corse, 
"Hold  the  Fort,  I  am  coming."  Finding  Sherman  hot  on  his 
trail  Hood  withdrew  from  Altoona  and  continued  his  march 
northward.  On  the  i3th  he  reached  Dalton,  capturing  its 
colored  garrison  without  resistance,  and  at  once  moved  up 
the  valley  and  demanded  the  surrender  of  Company  D's  block- 
house. Captain  Hymer  thus  describes  their  approach  and  the 
result:  "I  had  received  orders  to  hold  the  gap  and  not  sur- 
render to  any  force.  In  anticipation  of  such  an  attack  we  had 
been  supplied  with  plenty  of  rations  and  ammunition,  and  a 
large  tank  inside  the  blockhouse  was  constantly  kept  filled 
with  fresh  water.  General  Bate  led  the  advance  and  appeared 
before  us  at  i  p.  m.  on  the  i3th  of  October.  His  adjutant- 
general,  Captain  Carter,  appeared  on  the  mountain  side  with 
a  flag  of  truce,  but  not  recognizing  its  character  I  shot  his 
horse  from  under  him.  Soon  they  brought  up  a  battery  of 
brass  field  guns  and  opened  on  the  blockhouse  with  great 
fury,  with  both  artillery  and  musketry.  I  at  once  placed  my 
men,  one-half  at  the  port  holes  and  the  other  half  serving  them 
with  loaded  guns.  This  soon  silenced  their  guns,  but  they 
quickly  opened  again  in  a  less  exposed  position.  In  the  mean- 
time the  rebel  infantry  had  passed  over  the  spurs  of  the 
mountain,  and  had  us  completely  surrounded.  By  three 
o'clock  no  less  than  6,000  infantry  and  a  battery  were  pour- 
ing shot  and  shell  into  the  blockhouse.  Thus  the  battle  raged 
all  that  afternoon  and  evening.  Now  a  man  falls,  then  an- 
other, but  the  brave  boys  of  Company  D  stand  to  their  port 
holes,  picking  off  the  rebels  in  large  numbers  with  their 
trusty  rifles.  As  night  came  on  the  surrounding  hills  were 


BREVET  MAJ.  SAMUEL  HYMER,  U.  S.  VOLS. 
CAPTAIN  COMPANY  D. 


HYMER'S  DEFENSE  OF  THE  BLOCKHOUSE.  221 

lighted  by  the  rebel  camp  fires.  Finally  the  firing  ceased 
and  I  looked  at  the  result  of  the  battle.  Five  of  my  men  were 
dead  and  nearly  all  the  rest  more  or  less  wounded.  The 
blockhouse  was  torn  to  slivers,  and  the,  earth  covering  pour- 
ing in  upon  us.  All  was  then  still  as  the  grave  excepting  the 
groans  of  the  wounded.  I  decided  to  await  results.  We  were 
done  fighting,  but  we  had  held  the  entire  rebel  army  more 
than  ten  hours,  had  enabled  Sherman  to  make  ten  hours'  gain 
on  the  enemy,  and  had  saved  our  regiment  at  Tunnel  Hill.  I 
then  placed  all  my  men  that  were  still  able,  at  the  four  sides 
of  the  ruined  blockhouse  to  watch  for  an  assault.  Very  soon 
I  saw  a  flag  shaking  over  the  railroad  grade  ten  steps  away. 
To  our  challenge,  the  reply  came,  'A  flag  of  truce'.  I  then 
went  out  and  found  it  was  Captain  Carter  of  General  Bate's 
staff.  He  came  up  on  the  grade  saying,  T  was  afraid  to  be 
seen,  as  you  have  shot  at  everything  in  sight.  This  is  the 
third  time  I  have  tried  to  come  to  you  with  a  flag  of  truce.' 
He  then  presented  to  me  the  following  demand : 

In  the  Field  near  Dalton,  Ga.,  October  13,  1864. 
I  am  commanded  by  Major-General  Bate,  C.   S.  A.,  to  demand 
the  surrender  of  this  fort  and  garrison.     Your  officers  and  men  will 
be  treated  as  prisoners  of  war.     Your  defense  has  been  gallant,  and 
any  further  resistance  will  be  an  unnecessary  effusion  of  blood. 

Theo.  Carter,  Captain  C.  S.  A. 

"Upon  this  I  endorsed  my  acceptance  as  follows : 

I  accept  the  terms,  believing  further  resistance  hopeless. 
Samuel  Hymer,  Captain  Company  D,  iisth  111.  Infantry,  Commanding. 

'T  told  Captain  Carter  his  men  must  not  enter  the  block- 
house until  we  had  time  to  pack  up  and  march  out.  We  spent 
a  half  hour  putting  on  our  best  clothes,  packing  up  our  valu- 
ables and  throwing  guns  and  ammunition  in  the  creek  in  the 
rear.  We  then  marched  out  in  line.  'Is  that  all  the  men  you 
have?'  said  the  officer,  to  which  I  replied,  'No,  there  are  five 
dead,  and  twice  that  number  wounded  still  in  the  fort'.  He 
exclaimed,  'Oh,  we  thought  there  were  two  or  three  com- 
panies'." 

While  the  fight  was  going  on  at  the  blockhouse,  eight  com- 
panies of  the  1 1 5th,  numbering  less  than  300,  were  listening 


222  ATTACK  ON  TUNNEL  HILL. 

with  great  anxiety  at  Tunnel  Hill.  Company  H  was  still  at 
the  bridge  three  miles  above.  Without  artillery  or  fortifica- 
tions, our  little  band  was  poorly  prepared  to  meet  Hood's 
30,000.  However,  we  had  not  been  advised  of  Hood's  ap- 
proach, and  supposed  the  attack  being  made  was  by  Wheel- 
er's cavalry,  not  more  than  3,000  strong  with  nothing  heavier 
than  six-pound  guns.  Determined  to  make  as  big  a  show 
as  possible,  a  large  part  of  our  force  was  kept  on  skirmish 
line.  Finally  when  the  firing  ceased  we  were  uncertain 
whether  it  meant  a  surrender,  or  the  retiring  of  the  enemy 
from  the  contest.  McCauley,  the  Union  scout,  was  then  called 
into  service  and  given  a  sure-footed,  active  horse  ;  he  was 
soon  on  his  way  over  the  northern  slopes  of  Rocky  Faced 
Ridge  and  around  to  the  south  side  of  the  town  of  Dalton,  to 
the  home  of  his  brother-in-law.  Finding  the  town  full  of  sleep- 
ing Confederates,  the  truth  was  apparent  that  Hood's  army 
was  there.  Confirmed  in  this  by  his  relative,  he  rode  rapidly 
back  to  Tunnel  Hill,  where  he  arrived  at  about  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  It  was  a  relief  to  know  what  was  before  us, 
though  that  knowledge  most  strongly  suggested  a  term  in 
a  rebel  prison. 

Telegraph  communication  with  Chattanooga,  thirty-one 
miles  away,  had  been  cut  off  early  in  the  evening.  There  were 
no  supports  nearer,  except  a  few  companies  guarding  Gov- 
ernment stores  at  Ringgold  and  other  stations.  Our  latest 
orders  were  to  defend  the  place,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Po- 
teet  was  determined  to  do  it, — yet  when  made  aware  of  the 
fact  that  Hood's  army  might  be  expected  at  daylight  he  hesi- 
tated to  subject  the  regiment  to  capture  without  consultation 
with  his  officers.  He,  therefore,  called  a  hasty  council  of  his 
officers  and  submitted  the  facts.  His  own  view  was  sup- 
ported by  all  present,  except  one  or  two,  and  they  quickly 
joined  in  a  unanimous  decision  to  make  all  possible  defense 
and  take  the  consequences.  Fully  realizing  that  our  capture 
was  a  foregone  conclusion  the  next  hour  was  spent  in  hur- 
riedly making  ready  for  a  long  trip  in  the  South.  Many  put 
on  two  suits  of  underwear  and  the  most  durable  suit  of  clothes, 
so  as  to  be  as  comfortable  as  possible  while  visiting  our 


RETREAT  FROM  TUNNEL  HILL-  223 

Southern  brethren.  Valuables  were  taken  to  the  homes  of 
citizens  to  be  concealed  from  the  expected  captors.  In  the 
meantime  the  pickets  were  strengthened  and  the  lines  ex- 
tended, so  that  as  vigorous  defense  as  possible  should  be 
made.  The  Confederates  were  already  in  motion  and  our 
guards  could  distinctly  hear  the  noise  made  by  a  column 
moving  around  the  southeast  border  of  the  village,  and  at  the 
same  time  a  similar  movement  was  heard  towards  the  west. 
Evidently  we  were  being  surrounded,  and  our  fate  would  soon 
be  known.  Fortunately  the  Chattanooga  road  was  still  open 
and  good  use  was  then  being  made  of  it. 

Major-General  Schofield,  then  in  command  of  Chattanooga, 
had  been  advised  of  the  approach  of  the  Confederates,  and 
being  unable  to  communicate  by  telegraph,  had  despatched 
two  couriers,  well  mounted,  to  bring  his  orders  to  us.  At 
the  moment  of  greatest  peril  when  our  capture  seemed  cer- 
tain, about  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  those  messengers 
dashed  past  our  guards,  not  certain  whether  they  were  friend 
or  foe  and  disregarding  their  challenge,  rode  with  all  speed 
to  the  center  of  town  near  headquarters.  In  another  moment 
General  Schofield's  order,  "Abandon  all  stores  and  save  your 
men  if  possible",  was  known  to  the  officers  and  men  there 
assembled.  Colonel  Poteet  at  once  put  the  regiment  in  mo- 
tion. Messengers  were  sent  to  all  parts  of  the  skirmish  line, 
warning  the  men  to  withdraw  as  quietly  and  as  rapidly  as  pos- 
sible, and  overtake  the  regiment  without  unnecessary  delay. 
Never  was  an  order  more  promptly  obeyed.  There  was  no 
time  to  save  anything.  An  attempt  at  burning  the  many 
thousands  of  dollars  worth  of  Government  stores  in  the  depots 
and  in  the  cars  on  the  tracks  would  only  have  resulted  in 
warning  the  enemy  of  our  retreat,  and  almost  certainly  have 
secured  our  capture.  We  were  quickly  under  way  in  good 
style.  Though  presenting  a  straggling  line  for  a  while,  the 
most  distant  skirmishers  soon  caught  up  with  the  body  of  the 
regiment.  As  the  light  of  day  streamed  over  the  hills  we 
were  nearing  Ringgold,  and  not  long  after  that  we  had  passed 
the  village  and  were  climbing  the  hills  beyond.  Thus  far  it 
had  been  a  rapid  march,  and  it  was  well  for  us  that  it  was  so, 


224  RETREAT  FROM  TUNNEL  HILL- 

for  as  we  neared  the  summit  of  the  hills  to  the  northwest  of 
Ringgold,  the  Confederate  cavalry  could  be  seen  approach- 
ing on  the  opposite  hills  that  we  had  just  left.  Apparently 
they  had  not  been  long  in  learning  of  our  movement  and 
starting  the  pursuit.  However,  Hood's  delay  at  Buzzard's 
Roost  Gap,  caused  by  Hymer's  stubbornness,  had  brought 
Sherman  almost  within  striking  distance,  making  it  impera- 
tive that  General  Hood  should  attend  to  more  important  busi- 
ness than  following  the  little  band  of  the  H5th.  So,  after  ap- 
propriating so  much  of  the  Government  stores  as  his  men 
could  use  or  carry  and  burning  the  rest,  he  hastily  moved 
westward  towards  the  Alabama  line.  And  his  cavalry  that 
were  in  our  pursuit,  not  caring  for  a  fight  with  infantry  and 
being  ignorant  of  our  numbers,  soon  gave  up  the  chase.  Our 
march  from  that  on  was  more  leisurely.  As  we  approached 
McAfee  Church  some  of  us  recognized  the  ground  on  which 
we  met  Scott's  rebel  brigade  on  the  first  day  of  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga.  About  three  or  four  o'clock  we  stacked  arms 
in  Chattanooga,  a  very  tired  lot  of  men  after  our  31  miles 
forced  march.  The  next  day  the  escape  of  Hood's  army  into 
northern  Alabama  was  known,  and  the  day  following  the  H5th 
returned  to  Tunnel  Hill  and  resumed  its  old  position. 

The  defense  made  by  Captain  Hymer  and  the  brave  boys  of 
Company  D  of  their  blockhouse  in  Buzzard  Roost  Gap  is 
worthy  of  special  mention.  That  gap  afforded  Hood  his  only 
way  through  the  mountains,  as  General  Sherman  was  too 
close  on  his  track  for  him  to  return  and  avail  himself  of  the 
route  via  Snake  Creek  Gap,  and  to  attempt  to  pass  to  the  north 
of  Rocky  Faced  Ridge  would  have  invited  certain  destruction. 
The  gap  was  so  narrow  and  the  mountain  sides  so  abrupt  that 
it  was  impossible  for  his  army  to  pass  the  gap  without  first 
taking  the  blockhouse.  But  45  brave  men  under  the  lead  of 
an  officer  who  knew  no  such  word  as  surrender  as  long  as  re- 
sistance was  possible,  were  there  to  dispute  his  passage.  For  • 
45  men  to  hold  such  a  position  nearly  twelve  hours  against  an 
army  of  30,000  men  with  more  than  70  pieces  of  artillery,  is 
certainly  a  fact  worth  a  place  in  history,  and  well  merited  was 
the  brevet  rank  of  major  given  Captain  Hymer  by  President 


WITHDRAWAL  NORTH.  225 

Lincoln,  and  the  medal  of  honor  voted  him  by  Congress  for 
his  gallant  conduct. 

It  is  also  remarkable  that  the  H5th,  so  small  in  numbers, 
was  permitted  to  hold  its  position,  within  three  or  four  miles 
of  the  gap,  from  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  until  five  the 
next  morning  in  the  presence  of  such  a  force,  and  then  to  slip 
away  without  the  loss  of  a  single  man. 

Hood's  northern  campaign  had  the  effect  of  alarming  the 
whole  North.  Thomas  with  the  4th  and  23d  corps  was  watch- 
ing his  movements,  and  doing  all  possible  to  obstruct  his 
northward  course.  Sherman  doubted-  Hood's  purpose  to  at- 
tack Nashville,  but  was  unwilling  to  start  on  his  "March  to 
the  Sea"  till  he  knew  more  certainly  his  enemy's  purpose. 
After  following  him  to  the  Alabama  line  or  a  little  beyond 
Sherman  felt  safe  in  leaving  Hood  to  the  care  of  Thomas, 
and  boldly  turned  back  to  the  South.  Rapidly  concentrating 
his  army  along  the  line  of  the  Georgia  Railroad  with  head- 
quarters at  Kingston,  Ga.,  General  Sherman  was  soon  ready 
to  break  away  from  his  northern  base  and  live  off  the  coun- 
try. That  the  railroad  might  not  be  of  service  to  the  enemy, 
General  Sherman  ordered  the  track  to  be  torn  up  from  Kings- 
ton north.  The  ii5th  was  designated  to  assist  in  that  work, 
and  early  in  November  marched  down  to  Kingston.  On  the 
I2th  General  Sherman  started  southward  to  begin  his  march 
to  the  sea,  and  the  H5th  northward,  bringing  up  the  rear  of 
the  contingent  intended  to  look  after  Hood.  Lest  the  enemy 
should  profit  by  the  loose  rails,  they  were  carried  forward 
by  the  men  the  length  of  a  train,  and  loaded  on  the  cars  and 
taken  to  Chattanooga.  In  that  way  the  entire  road  from 
Kingston  to  Chattanooga  was  taken  up.  Nearly  two  weeks 
were  consumed  in  this  laborious  task.  In  the  meantime  the 
news  went  abroad  through  the  country  that  the  Union  army 
was  withdrawing  to  Chattanooga.  The  two  armies  had  so 
devastated  the  country  that  but  little  was  left  for  the  support 
of  the  poor  people.  The  result  was  that  thousands  of  refugees 
came  flocking  to  us  from  every  direction,  asking  permission 
to  go  with  us,  that  they  might  be  fed  and  cared  for.  Great 
numbers  of  freight  cars  were  sent  down  to  haul  them  away. 


226  WITHDRAWAL  NORTH. 

Refugee  camps  were  established  at  Chattanooga  for  their  ac- 
commodation, and  thousands  of  the  destitute  women  and  chil- 
dren were  in  that  way  kept  from  starving.  Some  of  them 
had  the  appearance  of  a  good  deal  of  intelligence  and  of  hav- 
ing seen  better  days,  while  the  greater  number  were  very 
ignorant  and  but  little  appreciated  the  seriousness  of  their 
situation.  An  amusing  yet  pathetic  incident  occurred  while 
we  were  at  Calhoun  tearing  up  track  and  shipping  refugees. 
A  woman  with  six  or  eight  children  occupied  a  part  of  one 
of  the  freight  cars  in  a  train,  waiting  for  the  whistle  to  sound 
"go".  But  the  engineer  had  to  wait  for  orders,  and  the  train 
remained  on  the  side  track  more  than  a  day,  the  children  being 
fed  by  our  men.  One  of  these,  a  bright-eyed  little  boy  about 
three  years  old,  took  a  fancy  to  Joe  Edmonds  of  Company  E, 
because  Joe  in  his  kindness  of  heart  had  shared  his  rations 
with  him.  Wherever  Joe  went  about  his  duties  the  little  fel- 
low tagged  along.  Finally  Joe  went  to  the  spring,  a  few 
hundred  feet  away,  for  a  pail  of  water  and  his  little  charge 
went  along.  Now  it  so  happened  that  orders  came  and  the 
train  moved  off  while  they  were  gone.  The  mother  at  once 
began  to  take  account  of  her  flock,  but  on  rinding  the  little 
boy  was  gone  seemed  very  little  concerned  about  it,  and 
merely  called  to  some  of  the  soldiers  near  to  take  good  care 
of  the  boy  if  they  found  him.  Fortunately,  and  by  mere 
chance,  Joe  was  sent  to  Resaca  the  next  morning  on  some 
special  duty  and  of  course  had  to  take  his  charge  with  him, 
and  to  his  great  relief  found  the  refugee  train  on  the  side 
track,  and  was  thereby  enabled  to  return  the  little  boy  to  his 
mother. 

While  working  north  from  Resaca,  our  boys  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  re-visit  the  battle  field.  It  was  interesting  to  trace 
the  lines  occupied  by  the  respective  armies.  There  were  at 
that  time  many  relics  of  the  battle  lying  scattered  through  the 
woods  and  fragments  of  shells,  broken  muskets,  pieces  of  ac- 
couterments  and  the  like  were  frequently  found.  Less  agree- 
able relics  were  occasionally  met  with,  consisting  of  bleached 
bones  of  some  soldier  who  had  lost  his  life  in  the  conflict,  and 


TO  CHATTANOOGA.  227 

whose  body  had  not  been  found  when  the  dead  were  being 
gathered  for  burial. 

By  the  2Oth  we  had  reached  Dalton.  From  there  we  were 
ordered  to  our  old  quarters  at  Tunnel  Hill.  On  the  25th  we 
were  taken  to  Chattanooga  by  railroad  to  prepare  for  a  cam- 
paign in  middle  Tennessee  to  meet  any  force  of  Confederates 
that  might  appear  on  the  line  of  the  Nashville  &  Chattanooga 
Railroad.  Major-General  Steedman  then  held  5,000  men  at 
Chattanooga  in  readiness  to  move  as  General  Thomas  might 
order. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


OPERATIONS  IN  TENNESSEE. 

After  leaving  Georgia,  General  Hood  made  a  short  stop 
at  Gadsden,  Ala.,  and  then  pushed  on  towards  Decatur,  but 
without  making  any  serious  effort  to  take  the  place  he  moved 
on  down  the  valley  to  Florence.  There  he  expected  to  find 
supplies  of  food,  clothing  and  ammunition  for  his  army,  but 
was  greatly  disappointed.  General  Hood's  army  remained  at 
Tuscumbia  and  Florence,  gathering  supplies  and  recuperating 
their  forces  as  best  they  could  till  near  the  middle  of  Novem- 
ber. On  the  1 5th  the  army  began  crossing  the  Tennessee, 
and  by  the  2Oth  was  moving  northeast  towards  Lawrenceburg 
and  Columbia. 

In  the  meantime  General  Thomas  was  concentrating  his 
forces  on  the  line  of  the  Nashville  &  Decatur  Railway.  About 
November  ist  the  advance  division  of  the  4th  corps  began 
to  arrive  at  Pulaski,  -a  country  town  some  25  miles  south 
of  Columbia.  On  the  I4th  General  Schofield  reached  Pulaski 
with  a  part  of  the  23d  corps,  and  though  junior  to  Major- 
General  Stanley  in  rank,  he  assumed  command  of  the  forces 
because  of  being  a  department  commander.  As  rapidly  as 
possible  the  Union  forces  were  withdrawn  from  Decatur, 
Huntsville  and  other  points  south  of  Pulaski  and  concentrated 
at  that  place.  It  was  then  known  that  General  Hood  with 
three  army  corps,  commanded  respectively  by  Generals  S.  D. 
Lee,  N.  P.  Stewart  and  B.  F.  Cheatham,  was  marching  towards 
Columbia,  in  spite  of  the  terrible  weather  that  prevailed.  To 
meet  that  force  and  intercept  its  progress  towards  Nashville, 
General  Schofield  had  his  two  corps  of  not  more  than  20,000 
infantry  and  about  5,000  cavalry.  On  the  23d  the  Confeder- 
ates reached  Lawrenceburg  and  on  the  same  day  our  forces 


MATTHEW  J.  VERNER. 
COMPANY  B,  HEADQUARTERS  ORDERLY. 


ADVANCE  TO  FRANKLIN.  229 

started  towards  Columbia.  From  that  on  the  two  armies  were 
in  a  race  for  Nashville  with  the  advantage  in  favor  of  the  Con- 
federates. Before  General  Schofield's  advance  reached  Co- 
lumbia, our  cavalry  had  met  and  engaged  that  of  the  enemy 
only  a  dozen  miles  to  the  west.  By  a  rapid  movement,  Gen- 
eral Cox's  division  kept  the  rebel  cavalry  out  of  Columbia 
until  General  Stanley  joined  him  at  that  place  on  the  morning 
of  the  24th  after  a  brisk  march  of  30  miles  in  less  than  2O 
hours. 

Only  a  short  stand  was  made  at  Columbia.  Finding  the 
Confederates  moving  northward  on  his  flanks  General  Scho- 
field  crossed  Duck  River  on  the  26th  and  pushed  on  towards 
Franklin  in  an  effort  to  keep  ahead  of  the  enemy.  Soon  after- 
ward the  Confederates  effected  a  crossing  about  three  miles 
above.  With  superior  forces  of  both  infantry  and  cavalry,  the 
enemy  made  it  very  uncomfortable  for  General  Schofield  and 
his  command.  Late  in  the  evening  of  the  29th  the  last  of 
our  army  reached  Spring  Hill  to  find  a  large  portion  of  the 
enemy  almost  abreast  of  them  with  their  camp  fires  lighting 
the  adjacent  hills.  Before  midnight  General  Cox  led  the  ad- 
vance towards  Franklin  and  by  daylight  the  last  of  the  Union 
force  was  well  on  the  way. 

On  the  27th  General  Thomas  inquired  of  Steedman 
whether  he  could  throw  his  5,000  men  into  Tuscumbia  and 
destroy  the  enemy's  pontoon  bridge,  evidently  expecting  soon 
to  have  the  pleasure  of  sending  him  on  that  service.  To  that, 
General  Steedman  promptly  replied  that  he  thought  he  could, 
and  proposed  to  take  us  down  the  river  on  transports  con- 
voyed by  two  gunboats,  saying  he  would  start  on  the  29th. 
All  this  was  quickly  changed,  for  before  we  reached  Steven- 
son General  Thomas  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  ex- 
pedition down  the  river  was  too  dangerous,  and  ordered  us 
over  the  Cumberland  Mountains  to  Cowen,  where  we  waited  a 
whole  day  for  orders  for  the  next  move.  How  our  impatience 
would  have  been  increased  if  we  had  known  of  the  exciting 
events  then  taking  place  at  Franklin  and  what  a  relief  to  Gen- 
eral Schofield  it  would  have  been  if  we  could  then  have  come 
to  his  assistance.  In  the  meantime  General  Grant  was  doing 


230  BATTLE  OF  FRANKLIN. 

all  he  could  to  send  help.  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith's  left  wing  of  the 
i6th  corps  had  been  ordered  from  Missouri  to  aid  in  repelling 
Hood.  In  order  that  these  reenforcements  might  be  hurried 
forward,  General  Grant  sent  his  chief-of-staff,  General  Raw- 
lins,  to  St.  Louis  to  give  personal  attention  to  the  matter. 
But  Smith  had  to  march  across  the  state  of  Missouri  and  did 
not  get  away  from  St.  Louis  till  the  24th.  Schofield  was  anx- 
iously looking  for  him  at  Spring  Hill  or  Franklin  when  Smith 
was  some  days'  journey  from  Nashville. 

On  reaching  Franklin  General  Schofield's  first  effort  was  to 
get  the  Government  property  over  the  Harpeth  River,  before 
the  Confederates  could  bring  forward  force  enough  to  make 
an  attack.  From  the  previous  conduct  of  the  rebels  it  was 
not  expected  they  would  bring  on  a  real  battle — but  in  that 
he  was  mistaken.  He  says  in  his  report:  "The  enemy  fol- 
lowed close  after  our  rear  guard,  brought  up  and  deployed 
two  full  corps  with  astonishing  celerity,  and  moved  rapidly 
forward  to  the  attack." 

Franklin,  the  county  seat  of  Williamson  County,  then  a 
town  of  about  1,500  inhabitants,  lies  on  the  south  side  of  Har- 
peth River,  18  miles  from  Nashville.  The  Columbia  pike 
leads  directly  south  from  the  outskirts  of  the  town.  At  the 
edge  of  the  town,  on  the  right  of  the  pike,  looking  south, 
was  Carter's  house,  familiar  to  the  boys  of  the  ii5th  as  the 
location  of  the  picket  reserve  during  their  frequent  calls  to 
that  duty  in  the  spring  of  1863.  On  the  other  side  of  the 
road,  not  a  hundred  yards  away,  was  the  celebrated  cotton 
gin  house.  To  the  south  of  these  was  a  cotton  field,  almost 
level,  extending  a  third  of  a  mile,  and  beyond  a  woods  pasture 
with  scattering  trees.  A  little  farther  out  was  a  range  of 
hills.  As  the  rebels  approached,  our  advance  was  in  position 
to  the  right  and  left  of  the  pike  along  those  hills  beyond 
the  woods.  Our  main  force  was  in  a  semicircle  about  the 
town,  the  4th  corps  on  the  right  and  the  23d  on  the  left, 
the  center  being  near  the  Carter  house.  Cheatham's  corps 
appeared  in  our  immediate  front  on  both  sides  of  the  Columbia 
pike  while  Stewart's  corps  was  on  his  right  coming  down  the 
river,  General  Lee's  corps  being  in  reserve. 


BATTLE  OF  FRANKLIN.  231 

About  4  p.  m.  of  the  3Oth  Gen.  Patrick  Cleburne  formed  his 
division  in  two  lines  and  immediately  began  a  terrific  assault 
upon  our  lines.  The  two  brigades  of  Wagner's  division  sta- 
tioned out  on  the  road  were  no  match  for  Cleburne's  im- 
petuous lines.  On  they  came  with  furious  yells,  taking  hun- 
dreds of  prisoners  and  chasing  the  others  across  the  field  to 
our  hastily  prepared  works  near  the  gin  house.  Owing  to  the 
danger  of  killing  our  own  men,  our  force  defending  that  part 
of  the  line  could  offer  no  resistance  till  their  front  was  clear, 
and  then  the  enemy  were  dashing  upon  them  with  loud  and 
exultant  shouts.  In  a  moment  the  Confederates  had  crossed 
the  slight  breastworks  and  were  making  havoc  of  our  regi- 
ments to  the  right  and  left.  Some  new  regiments  were  panic 
stricken  and  for  a  time  the  rout  of  our  army  seemed  imminent. 
But  fortunately  a  splendid  brigade  of  veterans  under  command 
of  Col.  Emerson  Opdyke  was  in  reserve  near  at  hand.  Quick- 
ly the  tables  were  turned.  So  bravely  and  steadily  did  Op- 
dyke's  men  move  into  the  breach  and  so  vigorously  were 
they  supported  by  our,Kimbairs,  division  and  General  Cox's 
division,  all  led  by  our  gallant  corps  commander,  Gen.  D.  S. 
Stanley,  till  he  was  himself  severely  wounded,  that  the  rebels 
were  soon  sent  scampering  back  over  the  cotton  field,  terribly 
punished,  great  numbers  being  slain  in  the  open  ground  in 
front  of  Carter's  house  and  the  gin  house.  Several  hundred 
were  captured  before  they  could  get  outside  the  works.  The 
loss  of  Confederate  officers  was  very  great;  Gen.  Patrick  R. 
Cleburne  was  killed  near  the  pike  while  leading  the  charge ; 
Brig.-Gen.  John  Adams  was  shot  from  his  horse  while  riding 
over  the  Union  works  ;  Brigadier-Generals  Cranberry,  Strahl 
and  Gist  were  also  killed ;  Major-General  Brown  and  Brig- 
adier-Generals Cockrell,  Quarles,  Carter,  Manigault  and  Scott 
were  severely  wounded.  In  addition  to  these  six  colonels  and 
a  number  of  other  officers  were  killed,  and  thirty-two  other 
officers  were  wounded,  including  fifteen  colonels.  The  entire 
Confederate  loss  was  1,750  killed,  3,800  wounded,  and  702  cap- 
tured. Our  total  loss  was  189  killed,  1,033  wounded  and  1,104 
captured.  Among  the  spoils  of  war  were  33  stands  of  Con- 
federate colors.  The  44th  Missouri  Infantry  suffered  most 


232  WITHDRAWAL  TO  NASHVILLE. 

severely,  having  34  killed,  37  wounded  and  92  captured.  Well 
may  Franklin  be  called  the  hottest  little  battle  of  the  war. 

Finding  it  impossible  to  make  a  further  stand  at  Franklin 
against  the  odds  that  confronted  our  force  General  Thomas 
ordered  the  withdrawal  of  the  army  to  Nashville.  This  move- 
ment was  begun  at  midnight,  soon  after  the  close  of  the  bat- 
tle, and  by  evening  of  the  ist  of  December  the  hills  surround- 
ing Nashville  were  being  occupied.  General  Steedman's  pro- 
visional division,  including  the  H5th,  quietly  rested  in  the 
woods  near  Cowen  all  day  of  the  3Oth.  In  the  evening  orders 
came  to  hasten  to  Nashville  and  immediately  the  command 
was  rushed  on  board  the  long  lines  of  freight  cars  that  were 
waiting  for  our  use.  It  was  a  wearisome,  all-night  journey  in 
those  crowded  box  cars.  We  passed  Murfreesboro  at  ten  or 
eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  where  the  officers  had  break- 
fast in  the  railroad  dining  room,  and  the  men  made  coffee  or 
bought  it  as  best  they  could.  Rumors  came  of  a  battle  to  the 
west  of  us,  and  of  the  approach  of  Forrest's  cavalry  in  an 
attempt  to  cut  us  off.  Then  we  hurried  forward  again  but 
were  often  delayed  awaiting  orders  and  for  the  trains  ahead 
of  us  to  get  out  of  our  way.  About  sundown  our  train 
reached  the  southern  borders  of  Nashville  and  we  went  into 
bivouac  on  the  hills  to  the  right  of  the  railroad.  It  was  for- 
tunate for  us  that  we  made  such  good  time,  for  that  night  the 
Confederates  came  following  our  army  from  Franklin  and 
took  position  only  a  little  way  to  our  front. 

General  Steedman's  command  was  called  a  provisional  di- 
vision, and  was  made  up  of  colored  troops,  one-year  men,  re- 
turned convalescents  organized  into  battalions,  and  a  few 
veteran  regiments  like  our  own.  These  were  organized  into 
brigades,  General  Benjamin  Harrison  being  in  command  of 
one  and  Colonel  Moore  of  another ;  Lieutenant-Colonel  Po- 
teet  was  in  command  of  our  regiment.  The  value  of  a  few 
veteran  regiments  in  such  a  force  can  easily  be  imagined. 
With  such  an  enemy  in  front  it  was  quite  important  that  our 
picket  line  be  composed  of  trained  soldiers.  The  result  was 
that  our  boys  were  almost  constantly  on  the  skirmish  line. 
One  night  the  entire  regiment  was  on  the  skirmish  line  near 


RETURN  TO  THE  BRIGADE.  233 

the  Franklin  pike.  In  front  of  us,  about  half  way  to  the  rebel 
line,  was  a  large  residence,  elaborately  furnished  and  owned 
by  a  Dr.  Wood.  The  colonel's  headquarters  were  in  another 
large  house  a  few  hundred  yards  to  the  rear  which  had  been 
abandoned  by  its  owner.  Our  boys  did  faithful  work  watch- 
ing the  enemy  from  behind  a  substantial  fence  till  the  gray 
dawn  of  morning,  when  some  venturesome  fellows  went  down 
to  the  doctor's  house  to  see  that  his  affairs  were  in  good  shape. 
Finding  the  pantry  and  cellar  well  filled  with  food,  they  at  once 
put  themselves  on  duty  to  save  them  from  the  enemy.  Of 
course  others  came,  and  before  sunrise  the  ii5th  was  partak- 
ing of  more  than  an  ordinary  breakfast,  making  use  of  silver 
teaspoons  and  plated  forks,  and  using  elegant  glass  goblets  in 
disposing  of  the  wine  they  had  saved.  Soon  after  that  Dr. 
Wood  came  along  and  commended  the  boys  for  their  enter- 
prise and  courage,  saying  he  did  not  care  to  go  in  there  for 
anything,  however  valuable.  He  then  offered  a  reward  of 
$10  for  each  piece  of  parlor  furniture  or  oil  painting  the  boys 
would  bring  out  for  him.  Very  little  was  saved,  however,  for 
soon  his  house  was  fired  by  the  enemy.  We  quickly  tired  of 
such  continual  picket  duty,  and  were  clamoring  loudly  to  be 
returned  to  our  own  brigade  from  which  we  had  been  absent 
since  the  battle  of  Resaca.  Colonel  Moore  presented  our  de- 
sires to  General  Steedman  in  forcible  terms,  only  to  be  told 
that  we  could  not  be  spared  from  his  command,  and  that  he 
declined  to  transmit  the  request  to  General  Thomas.  That 
general  was  near  at  hand,  however,  and  was  not  unapproach- 
able, and  Colonel  Moore  being  determined  to  have  his  re- 
quest heard  was  not  slow  in  taking  advantage  of  that  fact. 
The  order  at  once  came  from  department  headquarters  reliev- 
ing Colonel  Moore  from  the  command  of  his  provisional 
brigade,  and  directing  him  to  report  with  his  regiment  to 
Whitaker's  brigade.  Our  return  to  the  company  of  the  old 
96th  was  like  a  family  reunion.  The  brigade  had  changed 
somewhat  since  we  left  it.  The  84th  Indiana  had  been  trans- 
ferred to  the  third  brigade,  and  the  4Oth  Ohio  was  being  mus- 
tered out  of  the  service  by  reason  of  the  termination  of  the 
period  of  enlistment.  The  35th  Indiana,  2ist  and  23d  Ken- 


234  PREPARING  FOR  BATTLE. 

tucky  and  45th  and  5ist  Ohio  remained  in  the  brigade,  and 
Brig.-Gen.  W.  C.  Whitaker  was  still  in  command.  The  boys 
of  the  96th  and  H5th  regretted  very  much  to  lose  the  4Oth 
Ohio  and  84th  Indiana,  for  we  had  been  together  so  long  that 
those  four  regiments  had  a  peculiar  attachment  for  each  other. 
Our  line  extended  in  a  sort  of  circle  from  the  river  above 
the  city  across  the  hills  past  the  present  site  of  Vanderbilt 
University  to  the  river  below.  General  Steedman's  division 
occupied  the  left,  his  right  resting  on  the  Franklin  pike.  The 
4th  army  corps,  commanded  by  Gen.  Thomas  J.  Wood,  in  the 
adsence  of  General  Stanley,  came  next,  while  the  left  wing  of 
the  i6th  corps,  under  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith,  occupied  the  right. 
The  23d  corps,  commanded  by  Maj.-Gen.  John  M.  Schofield 
was  in  reserve.  The  ii5th  was  on  the  Granny  White  pike, 
near  the  old  Acklin  mansion,  where  it  threw  up  a  line  of  earth- 
works that  remain  to  this  day.  Our  only  shelter  for  line  offi- 
cers and  men  were  the  regulation  "dog"  tents.  The  weather 
was  terrible  for  a  period  of  ten  days.  Snow,  sleet  and  freez- 
ing cold  weather  prevailed  in  turns,  one  or  two  mornings 
the  temperature  being  down  to  zero.  The  army  had  been  on 
a  long  summer  campaign,  far  from  its  base  of  supplies,  and 
very  few  had  been  supplied  with  overcoats  and  winter  cloth- 
ing, and  with  all  that,  the  only  fuel  came  from  the  few  green 
shade  trees  at  our  command.  It  must  be  remembered  the 
rebels  had  possession  of  the  forests  outside,  and  were  not  sup- 
posed to  be  on  sociable  terms  with  us.  All  through  that  cold 
spell  the  quartermaster's  department  was  most  actively  en- 
gaged supplying  the  troops  with  clothing  and  blankets.  It 
was  a  daily  rush  for  precedence  at  the  depot  of  supplies.  Each 
division,  brigade  and  regimental  quartermaster  was  pressing 
his  special  claims  and  the  needs  of  his  command.  And  all 
that  time  General  Grant  and  the  impatient  authorities  at 
Washington  were  urging  General  Thomas  to  move  on  the 
enemy.  General  Thomas  knew  too  well  it  was  impossible  to 
move  in  our  condition  without  the  most  cruel  hardships  to  his 
men.  And  "Pap"  Thomas  was  a  real  father  to  his  soldier 
boys,  and  though  it  might  send  him  to  the  rear  in  disgrace 
he  had  the  courage  to  take  the  consequences  and  go  right 


PREPARING  FOR  BATTLE.  235 

on  getting  ready  for  work  before  attempting  to  move.  In 
the  meantime,  and  for  just  once,  the  patient,  persistent,  per- 
severing Grant  had  entirely  lost  his  patience.  Logan  was  or- 
dered to  Nashville  to  take  the  command,  and  had  gone  as  far 
as  Louisville  on  his  way,  when  Thomas  was  finally  ready  and 
the  ice  had  thawed  enough  to  enable  the  men  to  move  with- 
out slipping  and  falling.  And  then  Thomas  was  moving  on 
the  enemy  in  such  a  way  as  to  show  that  Logan  was  not 
needed. 

The  Confederate  army  occupied  the  line  of  hills  in  our 
front,  General  Cheatham's  corps  on  their  right,  General  Lee's 
in  the  center,  and  General  Stewart's  corps  on  their  left.  By 
the  I4th  of  December  our  army  was  fairly  well  equipped  for 
a  campaign  and  fortunately  for  General  Thomas  the  weather 
had  moderated  and  the  ice  was  rapidly  melting  away.  Orders 
were  quickly  issued  to  the  corps  commanders  to  be  ready  to 
move  at  the  break  of  day  the  next  morning. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


NASHVILLE  AND  AFTER. 

General  Thomas'  plan  of  battle  was  all  that  could  be  ex- 
pected of  a  master  in  the  military  art.  Major-General  Smith, 
commanding  a  part  of  the  i6th  corps,  was  to  form  his  troops 
on  the  Hardin  pike  and  make  a  vigorous  assault  on  the 
enemy's  left.  Major-General  Wilson's  cavalry  corps  was  to 
form  on  General  Smith's  right  as  soon  as  an  opening  could  be 
made  and  move  on  the  enemy's  flank,  turning  it  if  possible. 
The  4th  corps,  under  the  command  of  Brig.-Gen.  T.  J.  Wood, 
was  to  form  on  the  Hillsboro  pike,  co-operate  with  and  sup- 
port General  Smith  on  his  left.  The  23d  corps,  under  Major- 
General  Schofield,  was  held  in  reserve  in  the  center  and  to 
co-operate  with  General  Wood.  Major-General  Steedman's 
provisional  division  was  to  occupy  the  left  of  the  line  and  co- 
operate with  the  rest  of  the  army  as  circumstances  might  re- 
quire. The  quartermaster's  troops  being  an  armed  force  of 
employes  of  the  quartermaster's  department,  under  command 
of  Brigadier-General  Donaldson,  were  also  held  in  reserve  on 
the  hills  in  the  rear. 

The  reveille  was  sounded  at  four  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  the  1 5th,  and  at  daylight  the  army  was  in  motion.  We 
were  favored  by  a  dense  fog  which  enveloped  the  entire  region 
till  late  in  the  afternoon,  entirely  concealing  our  movements 
from  the  enemy.  The  battle  opened  by  a  feint  against  the 
enemy's  right  by  Steedman's  division,  which  had  the  desired 
effect  of  drawing  Hood's  attention  to  that  part  of  his  line  and 
causing  him  to  concentrate  his  forces  in  that  direction.  So 
thoroughly  was  Steedman's  movement  taken  in  earnest  by  the 
enemy  that  it  brought  him  quite  a  brisk  engagement,  which 
lasted  for  some  hours.  Before  Hood  had  time  to  recover 
from  his  surprise  at  the  attack  upon  his  right,  General 


BATTLE  OF  NASHVILLE.  237 

Thomas  was  making  his  real  assault  upon  the  enemy's  left. 
General  Smith's  corps  rapidly  moving  forward  and  wheeling 
to  the  left,  pushed  the  enemy  before  it  until  several  lines  of 
the  works  were  taken.  Two  divisions  of  General  Schofield's 
corps  were  then  thrown  in  on  Smith's  right  to  support  General 
Wilson's  extended  line.  These  three  corps  were  moved  rapid- 
ly to  the  left,  driving  the  enemy  before  them  as  far  as  the 
Hillsboro  pike,  capturing  several  batteries  and  many  prison- 
ers on  the  way.  Montgomery  Hill  was  a  strongly  fortified 
position  from  which  the  rebel  batteries  commanded  portions 
of  the  Hillsboro  pike.  The  4th  army  corps  was  formed  in 
front  of  that  position,  the  second  division,  commanded  by 
Brigadier-General  Elliott,  on  the  right,  our  first  division  un- 
der Gen.  Nathan  Kimball  in  the  center,  and  the  third  division 
under  Gen.  Sam  Beatty  on  the  left.  A  terrific  artillery  fire  had 
been  kept  up  all  along  the  line  between  our  batteries  and  those 
of  the  enemy  from  the  time  the  fog  had  cleared  away.  In 
this  the  great  siege  guns  in  our  forts  in  the  rear  actively  par- 
ticipated, in  deep  bass  tones  amid  the  higher  notes  of  the 
light  artillery  and  the  rattle  of  musketry.  Of  course  all  Nash- 
ville was  in  the  greatest  excitement.  All  who  possibly 
could  wanted  to  see  the  battle.  Many  thousands  were 
on  the  hills  and  prominent  points  watching  the  movement  of 
troops  and  listening  to  the  roar  of  the  battle.  Soldiers  rarely 
see  much  of  a  battle.  Their  engagements  are  such  as  to  give 
them  no  opportunity, — and  rarely  do  citizens  and  non-com- 
batants have  such  a  chance.  The  battle  of  Nashville  was  an 
exception.  Its  surrounding  hills  are  so  situated  as  to  give  a 
splendid  view  from  their  summits  of  the  field  of  operations 
of  our  troops  on  that  occasion.  It  was  a  distant  view,  for 
most  of  them  did  not  care  to  approach  very  near  the  line  of 
battle. 

As  General  Smith's  corps  approached  the  Hillsboro  pike 
in  its  operations,  the  4th  corps  began  an  assault  on  Montgom- 
ery Hill  and  the  works  in  our  front.  Post's  brigade  of  the 
third  division  was  assigned  the  task  and  honor  of  taking  the 
hill,  which  it  did  in  splendid  style,  being  well  supported  by 
General  Streight's  brigade  of  the  same  division.  The  entire 


238  BATTLE  OF  NASHVILLE. 

line  of  the  corps  then  pressed  forward  and  was  soon  actively 
engaged.  Very  soon  Kimball's  division  found  itself  in  front 
of  a  strongly  fortified  hill.  General  Grose's  brigade  was  on  the 
right,  Colonel  Kirby's  on  the  left  and  Whitaker's  in  reserve, — 
all  formed  in  two  lines  of  battle.  The  country  in  our  front 
was  quite  open  so  that  our  movements  were  in  plain  view  of 
the  enemy.  At  4  p.  m.,  the  division  having  steadily  advanced 
to  the  foot  of  the  slope,  began  a  furious  assault  on  the  hill. 
Grose's  and  Kirby's  brigades  charged  the  hill  in  fine  style, 
being  closely  supported  by  Whitaker's  brigade,  and  never 
halting  till  the  hill  was  taken  and  the  enemy  driven  in  disor- 
der from  his  position.  Several  pieces  of  artillery,  many 
small  arms  and  300  prisoners  were  captured.  The  Confeder- 
ates had  gradually  given  way  from  their  left  and  shortened 
their  lines  until  they  had  passed  the  Granny  White  pike.  Af- 
ter the  contest  of  the  early  forenoon  General  Steedman's  di- 
vision had  slowly  but  steadily  pressed  the  enemy,  keeping 
up  a  strong  skirmish  fire  all  along  the  line,  until  it  occupied 
a  position  a  mile  or  two  in  advance  of  that  in  the  morning. 
At  the  close  of  the  day's  fight  the  4th  corps  rested  on  the 
Granny  White  pike  and  a  little  east  of  it,  the  i6th  and  23d 
corps  extending  to  the  southwest,  with  Wilson's  cavalry  ad- 
vanced on  the  Hillsboro  pike,  six  miles  from  Nashville. 
Numerous  batteries  and  large  numbers  of  small  arms  and 
prisoners  had  been  captured,  while  our  loss  had  been  com- 
paratively small. 

During  the  night  General  Hood  transferred  Cheatham's 
corps  to  his  left,  putting  Stewart's  in  the  center  and  Lee's 
on  his  right,  at  the  same  time  withdrawing  his  lines  to  near 
the  base  of  the  Brentwood  Hills,  his  right  resting  on  the 
Overton  Hill,  on  which  rather  formidable  breastworks  of 
earth  and  logs  were  erected.  These  were  made  difficult  of 
approach  by  a  strong  line  of  abatis  and  other  obstructions  ex- 
tending around  the  east  and  north  slopes  of  the  hill. 

General  Thomas  lost  no  time  in  reporting  to  the  War  De- 
partment the  victories  of  the  day.  On  the  gth  of  December 
General  Grant  had  issued  an  order  that,  "Maj.-Gen.  J.  M. 
Schofield  relieve  at  once  Maj.-Gen.  G.  H.  Thomas  in  command 


LIEUT.    EZEKIEL    K.    SCHWARTZ 
Company  B. 


THOMAS  CONGRATULATED.  239 

of  the  Department  of  the  Cumberland".  On  the  same  day  this 
order  was  supended,  but  on  the  I3th  the  following  order  was 
issued : 

Headquarters  of  the  Armies  of  the  United  States, 

City  Point,  Va.,  Dec.   13,  1864. 

Maj.  Gen.  John  A.  Logan,  United  States  volunteers,  will  proceed 
immediately  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  reporting  by  telegraph  to  the  lieu- 
tenant-general his  arrival  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  also  his  arrival  at 
Nashville,  Tenn. 

By   command    of    Lieutenant-General    Grant. 

T.  S.  Bowers,  Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

On  December  i5th  at  9  p.  m.  General  Thomas  sent  the  fol- 
lowing dispatch  to  the  War  Department : 

Major-General  Halleck,  Chief-of-Staff: 

Attacked  enemy's  left  this  morning;  drove  it  from  the  river  below 
the  city,  very  nearly  to  Franklin  pike, — distance  about  eight  miles. 

Geo.  H.  Thomas,  Major-General. 

At  midnight  the  Secretary  of  War  telegraphed : 

To  Major-General  Thomas: 

Please  accept  for  yourself,  officers  and  soldiers  of  your  command, 
the  thanks  of  this  Department  for  the  brilliant  achievements  of  this 
day.  E.  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War. 

At  the  same  hour  General  Grant  sent  this  message : 

Washington,  Dec.   15,   1864,   12  Midnight. 
Maj. -Gen.  Geo.  H.  Thomas,  Nashville: 

Your  dispatch  of  this  evening  just  received.  I  congratulate  you 
and  the  army  under  your  command  for  today's  operations,  and  feel 
a  conviction  that  tomorrow  will  add  more  fruits  to  your  victory. 

U.  S.  Grant,  Lieutenant-General. 

The  next  morning  the  following  came  from  the  President : 

Washington,  Dec.  16,  11.20  a.  m. 
To    Major-General    Thomas: 

Please  accept  for  yourself,  officers  and  men  the  Nation's  thanks 
for  your  work  of  yesterday.  You  made  a  magnificent  beginning.  A 
grand  consummation  is  within  your  easy  reach.  Do  not  let  it  slip. 

A.    Lincoln. 

What  a  change  the  day's  work  had  wrought  in  the  tone  of 
the  Washington  dispatches,  and  how  modest  was  General 
Thomas'  report  of  his  victory!  Anticipating  the  defeat  and 


240  THE  SECOND  DAY. 

perhaps  rout  of  the  enemy  on  the  following  day,  General 
Thomas  promptly  gave  orders  to  Generals  Wilson,  Smith  and 
Schofield  to  be  ready  for  a  vigorous  pursuit  as  soon  as  the 
Confederates'  line  should  be  broken.  The  4th  corps  was  di- 
rected to  advance  to  the  Franklin  pike  and  connect  with  Gen- 
eral Steedman's  division  and  advance  on  the  enemy's  position. 

Very  early  on  the  i6th  the  4th  corps  advanced  as  ordered 
and  soon  encountered  the  enemy.  As  the  i6th  corps  had  the 
honor  of  taking  the  lead  on  the  first  day,  it  was  but  fair  that 
the  4th  corps  should  be  in  the  front  in  opening  the  con- 
flict of  the  second  day.  The  4th  corps  had  not  been  without 
credit  for  its  part  in  the  work  of  the  I5th,  as  shown  by  Gen- 
eral Grose's  charge  on  that  well-fortified  hill,  and  the  steady, 
destructive  work  done  along  its  entire  front  and  the  many 
guns  and  prisoners  captured.  But  on  the  i6th  its  many 
charges  upon  the  enemy's  strongest  positions,  and  the  succes- 
sion of  victorious  assaults  made,  in  which  regiments,  brig- 
ades and  divisions  vied  with  each  other  as  to  which  should 
capture  the  greatest  number  of  men  and  guns,  gave  it  the 
right  to  special  recognition. 

The  second  division,  General  Elliott  commanding,  was  on 
the  right  of  the  corps,  connecting  with  General  Smith ;  the 
first  division,  General  Kimball  commanding,  occupied  the  cen- 
ter, while  the  third  division  under  Gen.  S.  Beatty  was  on  the 
left,  connecting  with  Steedman's  division  at  the  Franklin  pike. 
General  Smith's  command  was  in  front  of  very  strong  works 
still  occupied  by  the  enemy,  so  there  was  not  much  fighting 
to  the  right  of  the  4th  corps  until  afternoon.  All  our  bat- 
teries were  brought  to  the  front  in  the  most  advantageous 
positions,  from  which  the  firing  was  constant  and  most  ef- 
fective. During  the  forenoon  the  Confederates  replied  to  us 
with  artillery  and  musketry  in  the  most  spirited  manner. 
Their  batteries  on  Overton  Hill  were  specially  active.  Soon 
after  noon  an  assault  of  this  position  was  ordered  to  be  made 
by  our  third  division,  and  General  Steedman's  colored  brig- 
ades. Post's  brigade,  that  had  gained  so  much  honor  in  the 
capture  of  Montgomery  Hill  on  the  first  day,  was  designated 
to  lead  in  the  charge  with  Colonel  Thompson's  colored  brig- 


THE  SECOND  DAY.  241 

ade,  being  supported  on  the  right  by  the  third  brigade  com- 
manded by  Col.  Fred  Knefler. 

The  approach  to  Overton  HilJ  was  a  gentle  slope,  a  dis- 
tance of  four  hundred  yards  through  scattering  trees  in  one 
of  those  beautiful  woods  pastures  so  common  in  middle  Ten- 
nessee, until  very  near  the  enemy's  works,  where  the  ascent 
became  much  steeper.  At  the  signal  for  the  charge  the  as- 
saulting column  started  up  that  hill  with  a  steadiness  and  de- 
termination worthy  the  highest  commendation.  It  is  true 
Colonel  Post's  brigade  was  composed  of  veterans  who  had 
seen  many  battles,  but  the  colored  troops  had  never  known  a 
real  battle — some  of  the  regiments  had  never  been  under  fire. 
The  hill  was  defended  by  a  division  of  Confederate  veterans, 
commanded  by  Major-General  Clayton,  and  a  strong  battery 
of  artillery.  As  the  assaulting  column  advanced  it  received 
the  most  terrific  fire  of  grape,  canister  and  musketry,  sufficient 
to  strike  terror  and  dismay  into  the  stoutest  hearts.  Un- 
mindful of  the  danger  and  the  large  number  of  men  that  were 
falling,  including  their  gallant  brigade  commander,  Colonel 
Post's  brave  men  rushed  on,  keeping  abreast  of  their  equally 
brave  colored  comrades,  until  very  near  the  enemy's  works, 
in  some  places  within  forty  or  fifty  feet,  when  they  were  com- 
pelled to  turn  back.  It  was  not  a  rout,  however,  for  those 
lines  were  soon  reformed  ready  for  the  successful  assault  of 
Overton  Hill  that  followed  a  little  later. 

Soon  after  the  charge  on  Overton  Hill  the  4th,  i6th  and 
23d  corps  began  a  series  of  successful  assaults  upon  the 
enemy's  lines,  resulting  in  their  crumbling  away,  beginning  on 
their  left  and  rapidly  extending  to  the  right.  Every  charge  of 
our  exultant  brigades  hastened  their  going.  Having  recov- 
ered from  their  repulse,  Beatty's  division  and  the  colored 
troops  renewed  the  attack  on  Overton  Hill  and  were  soon  re- 
warded by  seeing  the  enemy  flying  in  great  confusion  through 
the  gaps  in  Brentwood  Hills.  In  these  splendid  results  of  the 
second  day,  our  division,  under  Gen.  Nathan  Kimball,  had 
a  prominent  part,  capturing  many  guns  and  prisoners.  Our 
brigade  captured  over  600  prisoners,  more  than  600  small 
arms  and  six  pieces  of  artillery.  The  n-5th  was  with  its  brig- 


242  PURSUIT  OF  HOOD. 

ade,  Whitaker's  in  all  its  operations,  and  though  much  of  the 
time  in  the  second  line,  it  was  as  much  exposed  as  any  and 
suffered  more  loss  than  any  regiment  in  the  brigade  except 
two.  Colonel  Moore  was  in  command  throughout  the  battle, 
and  again  proved  himself  justly  entitled  to  be  called  the  fight- 
ing parson.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Poteet  was  division  officer 
of  the  day  and  was  highly  commended  by  General  Whitaker 
for  his  coolness  and  bravery.  Company  B  did  splendid  serv- 
ice on  the  skirmish  line.  Company  D  was  commanded  by 
Lieutenant  Hedges  of  Company  E,  Captain  Hymer  being  still 
a  guest  of  the  Confederates  in  Libby  Prison.  Captain  Whita- 
ker being  so  indisposed  as  to  be  unable  to  command  his  com- 
pany, and  Lieutenant  Royse  being  in  charge  of  the  quarter- 
master's department,  the  command  of  Company  E  devolved 
on  First  Sergt.  J.  M.  Martin,  who  proved  himself  well  worthy 
a  commission.  Where  all,  both  officers  and  men,  displayed 
such  cool  determination  under  the  most  trying  circumstances, 
it  is  impossible  to  name  some  as  more  worthy  of  commenda- 
tion than  others.  The  entire  regiment  fully  deserved  the  high 
commendation  given  by  its  commanders  in  their  official  re- 
ports. 

The  4th  corps  took  the  lead  in  the  pursuit  next  to  General 
Wilson's  cavalry,  following  closely  after  the  flying  foe  through 
a  most  disagreeable  cold  rain  that  began  before  the  close  of 
the  battle.  Night  coming  on,  we  bivouaced  among  the  Brent- 
wood  Hills,  some  eight  miles  from  Nashville.  All  were  so 
tired  that  we  slept  soundly  in  spite  of  the  discomforts  of  our 
situation.  While  we  were  thus  resting,  the  poor  Confeder- 
ates, many  without  shoes,  were  hurrying  along,  their  advance 
reaching  Franklin  before  morning.  Early  on  the  I7th  we  re- 
sumed our  march  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  our  corps  again 
keeping  close  to  the  cavalry.  It  rained  nearly  all  day  and 
the  mud  was  terrible,  but  we  dashed  into  it  and  made  the  best 
of  the  situation,  not  slacking  our  pace  for  any  obstacle.  Our 
rapid  march  soon  brought  us  upon  the  enemy's  rear  guard,  a 
portion  of  General  Lee's  corps,  of  whom  we  captured  several 
hundred  together  with  three  additional  pieces  of  artillery. 
That  night  the  infantry  bivouaced  at  Franklin  while  a  bridge 


PURSUIT  OF  HOOD.  243 

was  being  built.  The  cavalry  being  able  to  ford  the  Harpeth, 
pushed  on  three  or  four  miles  farther.  At  Franklin  we  found 
almost  all  the  houses  flying  the  red  flag,  being  used  as  hos- 
pitals for  the  care  of  the  2,000  Confederate  and  300  Union 
wounded,  left  from  the  battle  of  Franklin  and  still  unable  to 
be  moved.  On  the  i8th  we  continued  the  pursuit  18  miles 
to  Rutherford  Creek,  where  we  were  again  delayed  by  high 
waters  and  the  want  of  a  bridge.  A  similar  delay  occurred 
at  Duck  River,  so  that  we  were  unable  to  cross  that  stream 
till  the  night  of  the  23d.  The  Confederates,  though  somewhat 
hindered  themselves  by  the  high  waters,  continued  their  re- 
treat from  Columbia  on  the  2ist,  Hood's  headquarters  being 
at  Pulaski  when  we  crossed  Duck  River.  From  Pulaski  the 
Confederates  took  the  nearest  course,  a  southwest  direction, 
for  the  Bainbridge  crossing  of  the  Tennessee  River  near  Tus- 
cumbia.  In  this  way  they  were  compelled  to  take  to  the  coun- 
try roads,  soon  cut  up  so  that  their  artillery  sank  to  the  axles 
in  the  mud,  and  many  of  the  guns  and  caissons  being  left 
stuck  fast  as  they  hastened  to  make  their  escape.  While  Gen- 
eral Hood  and  his  advance  were  leaving  Pulaski,  his  rear 
guard  was  being  closely  followed  by  us.  Occasional  skirm- 
ishes, the  capture  of  worn-out  Confederates  and  picking  up 
deserters  and  stragglers  and  taking  care  of  abandoned  wagons, 
artillery  and  small  arms  left  by  the  enemy,  was  quite  suf- 
ficient to  make  our  march  interesting  nothwithstanding  the 
terrible  weather.  On  Christmas  we  passed  through  Pulaksi 
and  through  the  terrible  mud  six  or  eight  miles  beyond.  At 
Pulaski  General  Whitaker  left  us  to  take  his  seat  in  the  State 
Legislature,  to  which  he  had  been  elected  the  November  pre- 
vious, and  Colonel  Moore  assumed  command  of  the  brigade. 
By  that  time  Hood  was  crossing  the  Tennessee  and  his  army 
was  straggling  all  the  way  from  a  few  miles  ahead  of  us  to 
the  river.  The  daily  skirmish  and  capture  of  men,  wagons 
and  guns  continued  until  we  had  passed  Lexington.  Learning 
that  the  Confederates  had  succeeded  in  crossing  the  river  and 
had  broken  up  into  bands  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  overtake 
them  the  pursuit  was  abandoned  and  on  the  29th  we  turned 
back  towards  Pulaski.  After  a  day's  rest  we  started  for  Hunts- 


244  AT  HUNTSVILLE. 

ville,  Ala.  New  Year's  day,  1865,  was  spent  at  the  crossing  of 
Elk  River.  The  building-  of  a  bridge  gave  us  another  short 
rest,  but  on  the  3d  we  moved  on  to  Athens,  Ala.  The  next 
day's  march  of  twenty  miles  brought  us  within  five  miles  of 
Huntsville.  The  following  day  we  moved  through  the  city  and 
went  into  camp  near  the  base  of  the  beautiful  Rose  Moun- 
tain. Between  the  mountain  and  the  city  there  was  a  lovely 
eove,  sheltered  from  the  north  winds  by  the  mountain  as  it 
was,  and  having  a  number  of  fine  springs  of  pure  soft  water,  it 
made  an  excellent  camping  ground  for  the  troops.  The  first 
brigade  of  our  division  was  placed  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
cove,  the  third  brigade  at  the  far  side  or  against  the  mountain, 
and  our  brigade  on  the  slope  next  the  city,  so  that  the  three 
brigades  of  the  first  division  were  in  a  semicircle  around  the 
cove.  The  weather  had  been  quite  cold  during  our  march 
from  Pulaski  to  Huntsville,  and  as  we  had  no  camp  equipage 
other  than  what  each  man  carried  for  himself,  there  was  no 
little  suffering  among  our  men.  Even  the  shelter  tents  were 
very  scarce.  That  the  men  might  be  made  comfortable  or- 
ders were  issued  to  the  several  quartermasters  to  go  out  into 
the  country  and  bring  in  any  lumber  they  might  find  with 
which  to  build  quarters.  In  that  way  we  soon  had  comforta- 
ble huts  for  all  our  men,  though  at  the  expense  of  the  plank 
fences  and  out  buildings  of  the  country  for  a  distance  of  six 
or  eight  miles  in  every  direction.  Mrs.  John  Patten,  occu- 
pying an  elegant  country  place  about  a  half  mile  north  of  town 
on  the  Meridian  road,  had  secured  an  order  for  the  protection 
of  her  home,  which  was  made  to  do  service  in  protecting  her 
fine  plank  fences  also,  till  Lieutenant  Royse,  acting  as  regi- 
mental quartermaster  of  the  H5th,  came  along  with  his 
wagons  in  search  of  lumber  for  our  boys.  He  could  see  no 
reason  why  her  fences  should  remain  while  others  were  taken, 
and  limiting  her  orders  to  their  strict  intent,  he  procured  for 
the  1 1 5th  the  best  lot  of  lumber  that  could  be  found  in  all 
that  rich  neighborhood. 

Huntsville  was  in  every  way  a  lovely  little  city  of  five  or 
six  thousand  inhabitants.  Its  mountain  scenery  at  one  side, 
and  the  most  fertile  and  beautiful  vallev  twentv  miles  in  ex- 


BREVET  CAPT.  E.  D.  STEEN. 
FIRST  LIEUTENANT  COMPANY  B. 


AT  HUNTSVILLE.  245 

tent  on  the  other,  in  the  highest  state  of  cultivation  and  occu- 
pied by  the  wealthiest  planters  known  to  the  South,  made  it 
the  most  desirable  residence  city  in  the  entire  State.  The 
luxuriant,  dark  green  foliage  of  the  splendid  magnolia  and 
live  oak  trees  that  lined  its  streets,  and  the  clear  streams  of 
fresh  water  running  in  its  gutters,  together  with  the  fine 
shrubbery  and  beautiful  lawns  surrounding  its  elegant  homes, 
gave  the  place  a  peculiar  charm  to  us.  We  were  glad  to  make 
winter  quarters  in  such  a  place,  and  although  we  had  taken 
their  fences,  the  people  seemed  rather  glad  to  have  us  there. 
The  bitter  feeling  towards  the  "Yankees"  was  apparently 
gone.  Even  the  young  ladies  seemed  pleased  to  receive  the 
attentions  of  the  Union  officers  and  soldiers,  and  it  is  reported 
that  the  winter's  sojourn  of  the  4th  army  corps  at  Huntsville 
resulted  in  the  capture  of  a  number  of  the  fairest  young 
women  of  the  place.  The  churches  were  especially  cordial  and 
held  out  all  possible  inducements  for  the  soldiers  to  attend 
their  services.  The  Rev.  Frederick  A.  Ross,  D.  D.,  was  then 
pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  was  a  very  able 
preacher  for  any  city  and  his  sermons  were  enough  to  draw 
many  of  us  to  his  church  very  frequently.  The  weather  was 
simply  perfect  during  nearly  all  the  rest  of  the  winter.  Bright 
sunny  days,  with  only  slight  frosts  occasionally  at  night  was 
the  order  week  after  week.  Of  course  our  stay  there  was  con- 
sidered delightful  soldiering.  The  days  for  drilling  were  past 
for  us  and  the  rebels  had  been  so  demoralized  by  their  de- 
feat at  Nashville  that  they  gave  us  no  trouble,  and  guard  duty 
was  light.  Many  of  our  convalescents  were  sent  out  to  plan- 
tation houses  to  guard  them  against  the  depredations  of  the 
more  lawless  soldiers,  which  gave  them  the  advantage  of  good 
home  living,  a  great  help  to  the  recovery  from  sickness. 

The  mountain  that  overlooked  the  city,  and  all  the  valley 
for  twenty  miles  or  more,  was  an  object  of  great  interest  to  our 
men,  large  numbers  strolling  to  its  summit.  Another  inter- 
esting feature  of  Huntsville  was  its  big  spring  that  burst  out 
from  the  foot  of  the  hill  from  beneath  the  city,  within  a  few 
squares  of  the  court  house.  A  volume  of  water, — sweet,  clear 
and  beautiful,  and  large  enough  to  supply  the  city  with  water 


246  AT  HUNTSVILLE. 

and  power  to  run  the  pumps  to  carry  it  through  the  water 
system, — with  surplus  water  enough  to  feed  a  canal,  rolling 
out  of  the  hill  and  away  towards  the  river  was  enough  to  at- 
tract the  attention  of  the  dullest  visitor.  Ten  weeks  were 
quickly  passed  under  such  circumstances.  While  all  were 
having  a  good  time,  the  quartermaster's  department  had  been 
active  re-supplying  the  corps  with  all  that  was  required  for  the 
comfort  of  our  army,  consistent  with  the  duties  of  an  active 
campaign.  On  March  i3th  orders  came  to  break  camp  and 
take  to  the  cars  for  a  trip  to  East  Tennessee. 

While  we  had  been  engaged  in  these  operations  through 
Tennessee  and  North  Alabama,  and  taking  it  easy  at  Hunts- 
ville,  Sherman  had  been  making  his  grand  march  through 
Georgia.  After  leaving  us  at  Kingston  November  I3th,  he 
broke  up  the  railroad  to  Atlanta  as  effectively  as  possible,  de- 
stroyed everything  in  the  city  that  could  serve  the  rebellion, 
and  at  the  head  of  a  magnificent  army  of  four  corps  of  infantry 
and  Kilpatrick's  division  of  cavalry,  in  all  68,000  strong,  he 
boldly  started  through  the  heart  of  the  enemy's  country. 
Meeting  no  opposition  worthy  of  the  name,  it  was  a  real  picnic 
all  the  way  to  Savanah.  Hardee's  defense  of  Savanahwas  scarce- 
ly more  than  a  pretense,  and  on  the  2ist  of  December  Sher- 
man triumphantly  entered  the  city  and  established  a  new  base 
of  supplies.  After  a  month  spent  in  refitting  his  army,  Sher- 
man started  forward  on  his  march  toward  Virginia.  The 
Confederate  army  was  not  enough  to  seriously  impede  his 
progress,  and  by  the  middle  of  February  he  was  nearing  Co- 
lumbia, the  capital  of  South  Carolina,  which  was  quickly 
taken  and  mostly  destroyed.  On  the  i3th  of  March,  as  we 
were  breaking  camp  at  Huntsville,  Sherman  was  approach- 
ing Fayetteville,  North  Carolina ;  Schofield  with  the  23d 
corps  had  reached  the  coasts  of  that  State,  and  was  hasten- 
ing to  form  a  junction  with  Sherman's  forces,  while  Gen. 
Joseph  E.  Johnston  was  mustering  all  the  Confederates  possi- 
ble to  meet  them. 

At  the  same  time  Grant  was  beginning  his  last  move  on 
Richmond.  The  crisis  of  the  Confederacy  was  at  hand. 
Hood's  army  had  been  dispersed  and  there  was  really  no 


MARCH  EASTWARD.  247 

longer  any  Confederate  army  in  the  west  worthy  of  our  seri- 
ous attention.  Richmond  and  Lee's  and  Johnston's  armies 
were  the  only  objects  to  be  sought  after.  Of  course  our  des- 
tination was  the  same  as  Grant's,  Sherman's  and  Schofield's. 
That  was  a  real  "on  to  Richmond".  The  4th  army  corps  was 
quickly  loaded  on  trains  and  transported  to  Strawberry  Plains, 
eighteen  miles  above  Knoxville.  Then  after  two  or  three 
days'  rest  we  resumed  our  journey  on  foot  in  strictly  light 
marching  order,  every  encumbrance  that  could  possibly  be 
spared  being  cast  away.  We  had  frequently  received  orders 
cutting  down  the  allowance  of  transportation,  but  now  a  clean 
sweep  was  made  of  everything,  both  for  officers  and  men,  ex- 
cept such  articles  as  might  be  easily  carried  by  their  own- 
ers. Our  valued  mess  chests  with  stock  of  china,  and  other 
things  needful  were  given  to  our  camp  visitors  on  the  morn- 
ing of  our  departure. 

Our  journey  was  through  the  Switzerland  of  America.  The 
Allegheny  Mountains  to  the  east  and  the  Cumberland  range 
to  the  west,  with  the  beautiful  valleys  of  the  Tennessee  and 
French  Broad  Rivers  between  afforded  all  the  variety  of 
scenery  one  could  desire.  Then  the  welcome  given  us  by  the 
people  was  really  refreshing.  Though  in  one  of  the  slave 
States,  the  people  of  East  Tennessee  were  as  intensely  loyal 
to  the  Government  as  were  those  of  Ohio  or  Michigan.  A  few 
days'  march  brought  us  to  Shield's  Mills,  nearly  midway  be- 
tween Bull's  Gap  and  Greenville.  Corps  headquarters  were 
established  at  Greenville,  and  the  corps  put  in  camp  between 
that  place  and  Shield's  Mills.  We  were  on  waiting  orders,  but 
anxious  to  move.  It  was  becoming  apparent  that  we  were 
not  needed  in  Virginia.  Grant  and  Sherman  and  their  vic- 
torious hosts  seemed  able  to  manage  the  affair  without  help. 
At  first  our  camp  life  seemed  dull ;  we  had  grown  tired  of 
the  routine  of  camp  duties,  and  were  constantly  looking  for 
exciting  news.  In  that  case  we  did  not  have  to  wait  long,  for 
on  the  3d  of  April  news  came  of  the  fall  of  Richmond  and 
Petersburg,  the  flight  of  the  Confederate  president  and  the 
rapid  pursuit  of  Lee  in  his  retreat  towards  the  southwest  in 
the  hope  of  joining  forces  with  Johnston.  One  exciting  report 


248  LEE'S  SURRENDER. 

followed  another  until  on  the  evening  of  April  Qth  the  wires 
flashed  the  news  of  Lee's  surrender  to  us.  Quickly  the  mes- 
sage was  set  in  type  and  printed  on  little  slips,  which  were  sent 
by  runners  to  all  the  divisions,  brigades  and  regiments.  Soon 
after  an  order  came  from  General  Thomas  to  all  our  batteries 
to  fire  a  salute  of  100  guns  in  honor  of  the  victory.  Whether 
ordered  or  not,  the  writer  is  not  certain,  but  almost  the  en- 
tire command  joined  in  a  musketry  salute  of  many  thousands 
of  guns.  Bedlam  seemed  broken  loose;  the  whole  camp  was 
in  wild  excitement,  firing  guns,  shouting,  cheering  and  run- 
ning from  camp  to  camp.  Gen.  Nathan  Kimball  commanding 
our  division  went  on  the  grand  rounds  of  his  several  brigades. 
Starting  with  his  own  staff  mounted,  he  received  accessions 
from  the  headquarters  of  the  several  brigades  and  regiments, 
until  he  soon  had  a  great  escort,  as  jolly  a  cavalcade  as  can 
well  be  imagined.  "Taps"  were  not  sounded,  and  it  was  late 
at  night  when  the  camp  became  quiet  and  all  had  gone  to 
quarters. 

The  rejoicing  over  Lee's  surrender  continued  several  days. 
That  subject  was  upppermost  in  all  minds,  and  the  conversa- 
tion in  every  group  of  officers  and  men  naturally  turned  to  the 
absorbing  topic.  The  latest  news  and  all  the  particulars  of 
the  surrender  were  eagerly  inquired  after.  What  will  be  the 
next  move?  What  will  Johnston  do?  were  among  the  ques- 
tions frequently  asked.  That  the  bottom  had  fallen  out  of  the 
rebellion  seemed  certain.  The  opinion  prevailed  quite  gener- 
ally that  our  term  of  military  service  would  soon  come  to 
an  end. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


THE  LAST  OF  OUR  SERVICE. 

The  army  had  only  partially  recovered  from  the  excitement 
and  celebration  of  the  victory  when  the  message  came,  on 
the  morning  of  the  i6th,  announcing  the  assassination  of  Pres- 
ident Lincoln.  It  came  with  such  suddenness — seemed  so 
strange,  so  unnatural — that  the  report  was  at  first  discredited. 
Few  could  believe  such  an  act  possible.  But  very  soon  the 
confirmation  came  in  the  unmistakable  announcement  of  the 
Secretary  of  War.  All  feeling  of  rejoicing  over  the  capture 
of  Lee's  army  at  once  gave  way  to  the  keenest  sorrow  and 
mourning  for  the  Nation's  loss.  A  sense  of  bereavement 
seemed  felt  by  all  as  strongly  as  upon  the  death  of  the  most 
intimate  friend.  It  was  looked  upon  as  a  national  calamity, 
too  great  to  be  comprehended.  The  motive  for  the  dastardly 
crime  was  as  deep  a  mystery  as  the  act.  Officers  and  soldiers 
in  meeting  each  other  spoke  in  subdued  tones,  and  with  every 
manifestation  of  the  most  poignant  grief.  It  seemed  to  most 
of  them  that  no  one,  however  unfriendly  to  the  Nation,  could 
think  of  such  a  crime  without  feelings  of  horror  and  execra- 
tion of  the  deed. 

While  such  sentiments  prevailed  generally  among  the 
troops,  there  were  some  exceptions.  A  lieutenant  of  one  of 
the  Kentucky  regiments  came  to  the  brigade  commissary  for 
a  canteen  of  whisky.  While  he  was  being  served  by  the  com- 
missary sergeant,  he  remarked  that  he  wanted  the  whisky  to 
drink  in  celebration  of  the  death  of  the  tyrant  President.  Of 
course  the  sergeant  was  greatly  shocked,  and  as  soon  as  the 
lieutenant  was  gone  reported  the  fact  to  Colonel  Moore,  the 
brigade  commander.  The  writer  was  then  acting  aide-de- 
camp on  the  brigade  staff,  and  temporarily  in  charge  of  the 
assistant  adjutant-general's  office,  and  was  present  when  the 


250  JOHNSTON'S  SURRENDER. 

colonel  received  the  report.  The  colonel  was  immediately 
most  deeply  affected.  His  indignation  knew  no  bounds  and 
the  intensity  of  his  feelings  could  not  easily  be  described. 
Those  who  knew  him  may  imagine  the  tones  with  which  he 
directed  the  acting  assistant  adjutant-general  to  detail  a  ser- 
geant and  four  men  to  bring  the  offending  lieutenant  to  head- 
quarters at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  It  is  needless  to  say  the 
order  was  promptly  obeyed,  and  in  a  very  few  minutes  the 
officer  came  marching  into  the  colonel's  headquarters  in  front 
of  five  fixed  bayonets,  notwithstanding  his  protestations 
against  being  arrested  except  by  an  officer  of  his  rank.  Trem- 
blingly he  pleaded  that  he  was  only  joking,  but  the  colonel 
replied  that  if  he  was  in  earnest  he  should  be  tried  and  shot 
as  a  traitor,  but  if  only  jesting  he  was  too  big  a  fool  to  wear 
shoulder  straps  in  the  United  States  army,  and  that  the  least 
he  could  do  was  to  resign  for  the  good  of  the  service.  He  at 
once  acted  as  advised;  and  within  a  few  hours  his  resignation 
was  accepted  and  he  went  out  of  the  army  in  disgrace. 

Sherman  and  Schofield  had  joined  forces  at  Goldsboro  and 
were  marching  on  Raleigh,  when  news  came  to  them,  on  April 
I2th,  that  Lee's  army  had  surrendered.  On  the  i/th,  as  Sher- 
man was  on  his  way  to  meet  Johnston  for  a  conference  in 
response  to  that  General's  request,  he  received  the  news  of 
the  President's  assassination,  which  he  at  once  communicated 
to  the  Confederate  leaders.  They  were  all  deeply  affected,  and 
seemed  to  regret  it  as  much  as  our  own  people.  The  capitula- 
tion of  Johnston's  army  very  soon  followed,  and  the  last  army 
of  the  Confederacy  of  any  importance  was  disbanded,  the  men 
being  permitted  to  take  their  horses  with  them  to  their  homes, 
to  assist  them  in  making  a  crop,  as  Grant  had  suggested  with 
reference  to  Lee's  men.  The  surrender  of  the  remaining  Con- 
federate armies  scattered  throughout  the  south  and  west  soon 
followed,  and  the  great  Civil  War  was  at  an  end. 

Preparations  were  quickly  begun  for  the  muster  out  and 
disbanding  of  our  Union  armies,  excepting  such  small  portion 
as  might  be  deemed  necessary  to  preserve  order  in  the  South 
until  civil  authority  should  be  fully  established.  Nearly  all 
were  impatient  to  get  home.  Soldiering  was  dull  business  to 


GRAND  REVIEW.  251 

our  citizen  soldiers  when  there  was  no  enemy  in  the  field. 
Orders  came  for  the  removal  of  our  corps  to  Nashville.  The 
1 1 5th,  with  the  other  regiments  of  our  brigade  and  division, 
made  the  journey  by  rail  in  as  comfortable  a  manner  as  the 
miserable  equipment  of  the  road  would  permit,  and  on  May  ist 
went  into  camp  on  the  banks  of  the  Cumberland  River,  about 
four  miles  below  Nashville,  in  what  was  named  Camp  Harker. 

Major-General  Stanley  had  returned  to  the  command  of  our 
corps  and  had  established  his  headquarters  in  a  grove  of 
stately  poplar  and  sugar  maple  trees,  on  the  Hardin  pike  near 
our  camp.  He  was  always  popular  with  the  boys,  and  they 
were  determined  to  get  up  a  monster  torch-light  parade  in 
his  honor.  Without  the  assistance,  knowledge  or  consent  of 
the  officers,  about  dark  one  evening  the  enlisted  men  formed 
in  line  by  regiments,  brigades  and  divisions,  in  charge  of  mar- 
shals of  their  own  choosing,  and  with  flaming  torches  marched 
up  the  pike,  presenting  a  most  brilliant  spectacle,  to  the  en- 
trance of  the  general's  headquarters,  and  thence  in  through 
the  grounds,  winding  around  his  headquarter  tents  like  the 
coils  of  a  rope,  until  the  entire  corps  became  a  solid  mass  about 
him.  Of  course  the  general  was  delighted,  and  in  response, 
expressed  his  admiration  for  the  splendid  achievements  of 
the  corps  and  his  thanks  for  their  call,  but  excused  himself 
from  making  a  speech.  Colonel  Moore  was  then  called  for, 
and  in  his  usual  able  and  happy  manner  congratulated  them 
upon  the  great  name  they  had  made  for  the  corps  and  upon 
the  prospect  of  their  early  return  to  their  homes,  to  resume 
their  places  as  citizens  of  the  Republic.  After  several  other 
speeches,  the  men  quietly  returned  to  their  several  camps. 

On  the  pth  of  May  the  4th  army  corps,  20,000  strong,  passed 
in  grand  review  before  Major-General  Thomas,  on  the  fields 
between  the  Hardin  and  Hillsboro  pikes.  General  Thomas 
and  the  other  reveiwing  officers  sat  on  their  horses  on  the 
gentle  slope  of  a  hill,  while  the  many  regiments  of  the  corps 
marched  by  in  column  by  division.  The  reviewing  party  was 
backed  and  flanked  by  a  great  concourse  of  spectators,  many 
having  come  from  distant  northern  States  to  see  the  final 
review  of  our  corps.  Cheer  after  cheer  arose  from  the  assem- 


252  GRAND  REVIEW. 

bled  throng  as  regiment  after  regiment  marched  by.  The 
1 1 5th  was  carrying  the  torn  and  tattered  colors  it  had  borne 
through  months  of  campaign  and  battle,  and  when  it  came 
near  the  reviewing  party,  the  cheers  were  loud  and  long.  "See 
the  battle-scarred  flags,"  "They  have  seen  service,"  and  sim- 
ilar expressions  greeted  our  ears  all  along  the  crowd  as  we 
passed.  General  Thomas  gave  expression  to  his  feelings  in 
general  orders  issued  the  next  day. 

Headquarters  Department  of  the  Cumberland, 
Nashville,   Tenn.,   May   10,    1865. 

The  general  commanding  the  department  takes  pride  in  conveying 
to  the  fourth  army  corps  the  expression  of  his  admiration,  excited  by 
their  brilliant  and  martial  display  at  the  review  of  yesterday. 

As  the  battalions  of  your  magnificent  corps  swept  successively  be- 
fore the  eye,  the  coldest  heart  must  have  warmed  with  interest  in 
contemplation  of  those  men  who  had  passed  through  the  varied  and 
shifting  scenes  of  this  great  modern  tragedy,  who  had  stemmed  with 
unyielding  breasts  the  rebel  tide  threatening  to  engulf  the  landmarks 
of  freedom,  and  who,  bearing  on  their  bronzed  and  furrowed  brows 
the  ennobling  marks  of  the  years  of  hardship,  suffering  and  privation 
undergone  in  defense  of  freedom  and  the  integrity  of  the  Union,  could 
still  preserve  the  light  step  and  wear  the  cheerful  expression  of  youth. 

Though  your  gay  and  broidered  banners,  wrought  by  dear  hands 
far  away,  were  all  shred  and  war  torn,  were  they  not  blazoned  on 
every  stripe  with  words  of  glory — Shiloh,  Spring  Hill,  Stone  River, 
Chickamauga,  Atlanta,  Franklin,  Nashville  and  many  other  glorious 
names  too  numerous  to  mention  in  an  order  like  this!  By  your 
prowess  and  fortitude  you  have  ably  done  your  part  in  restoring  the 
golden  boon  of  peace  and  order  to  your  once  distracted,  but  now 
grateful  country,  and  your  commander  is  at  length  enabled  to  give 
you  a  season  of  well  earned  rest. 

But  soldiers,  while  we  exult  at  our  victories,  let  us  not  be  forgetful 
of  those  brave,  devoted  hearts,  which  pressing  in  advance,  throbbed 
their  last  amid  the  smoke  and  din  of  battle;  nor  withhold  our  sym- 
pathy for  the  afflicted  wife,  child  and  mother,  consigned  far  off  at 
home  to  lasting,  cruel  grief. 

By  command  of  Major-General  Thomas. 

William  D.  Whipple,  Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

From  that  on  the  officers  of  the  regiment  were  kept  busy 
getting  ready  for  the  muster  out.  Accounts  were  to  be  made 
to  the  departments,  guns  and  equipments  to  be  inspected  and 


LIEUT.    I.    H.    C.    ROYSE 
Co.    E.,    115th    ILL.    VOLS,   1863. 


MUSTER  OUT.  253 

all  government  property  to  be  turned  over  to  the  pruper  cus- 
todians. The  muster-out  rolls  required  much  time.  They 
were  made  on  large  sheets,  and  gave  the  military  history  of 
every  man  borne  on  the  rolls  of  the  company  from  the  begin- 
ning. It  was  no  small  matter  to  get  the  facts  together  from 
the  company  records  to  make  such  a  document.  When  com- 
pleted five  copies  were  required.  At  last,  all  being  ready  and 
having  passed  the  scrutiny  of  the  mustering  officer,  and  re- 
ceived .the  signatures  of  the  regimental  and  company  com- 
manders, we  were  legally  mustered  out  of  the  service  of  the 
United  States  on  the  i2th  day  of  June,  1865 ;  that  is,  the  rolls 
bore  that  date,  but  we  were  not  finally  disbanded  or  given  our 
discharges  until  the  27th  day  of  the  month,  to  which  day  our 
time  was  counted  by  the  paymaster  in  our  final  payment. 

As  soon  as  the  final  muster  out  was  over,  the  H5th  marched 
to  the  Nashville  station  and  took  the  train  for  Illinois,  via 
the  Louisville  &  Nashville  Railway  to  Louisville,  thence  to 
Mitchell,  Indiana,  and  thence  to  Sandoval,  Illinois,  by  the  O.  & 
M.  Railway,  thence  over  the  Illinois  Central  to  Decatur  and 
the  Great  Western  to  Camp  Butler.  At  Sandoval  Colonel 
Moore  telegraphed  Mr.  Jasper  J.  Peddecord,  the  veteran 
banker  of  Decatur,  that  the  ii5th  would  pass  that  city  about 
4  p.  m.  Now  it  had  been  a  custom  at  Decatur  on  receipt  of 
any  exciting  war  news  to  ring  the  Court  House  bell  after  a 
certain  manner.  Mr.  Peddecord  thought  the  coming  home  of 
the  1 1 5th  news  enough,  so  he  hastened  to  the  old  Court 
House  and  gave  the  bell  a  vigorous  ringing.  The  people 
quickly  responded  in  great  numbers,  filling  the  "old  square," 
when  Mr.  Peddecord  read  the  message  he  had  received,  and 
called  upon  the  citizens  of  Decatur  to  give  the  H5th  a  royal 
welcome.  They  were  dismissed  with  the  suggestion — "Go 
home,  get  ready  and  meet  the  IT 5th  at  the  depot  with  a  good 
dinner."  Colonel  Moore  had  not  expected  more  than  Mr. 
Peddecord,  and  possibly  a  few  friends,  at  the  depot — certainly 
he  had  no  expectation  of  what  occurred.  Apparently  the 
whole  city  was  there,  and  such  a  spread  of  good  things  as 
they  brought  was  enough  to  astonish  every  one.  Roast  tur- 
keys, chickens,  fruits,  cakes,  pies,  ice  cream,  in  quantities  not 


254  HOME. 

only  to  satisfy  the  ravenous  appetites  of  the  H5th  boys,  but 
an  abundance  for  two  or  three  other  regiments  on  special 
trains  following  us.  There  never  was  a  more  patriotic  city  nor 
one  more  lavish  in  its  hospitality  to  our  citizen  soldiers  than 
Decatur,  and  never  did  those  qualities  show  to  better  advan- 
tage or  receive  higher  appreciation  than  on  that  occasion. 

The  run  to  Camp  Butler  was  quickly  made  and  we  found 
ourselves  in  the  woods  near  the  old  camp  ground.  Then  came 
a  few  days'  rest  while  the  paymaster  checked  up  our  accounts 
preparatory  to  final  settlement.  On  the  27th  of  June,  1865, 
the  final  pay  was  received,  hasty  good-byes  were  said,  and  with 
much  hearty  shaking  of  the  hands  of  comrades,  all  started 
for  their  homes  from  which  they  had  been  absent  so  long. 
As  an  organization  in  the  service  of  the  Nation,  the  H5th 
Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers  was  no  more. 

The  readiness  with  which  the  American  volunteers  resumed 
their  former  position  or  took  to  new  or  enlarged  spheres  in 
civil  life  at  the  close  of  the  great  civil  war,  has  been  a  marvel 
to  many  Americans  and  to  all  foreigners.  The  soldiers  of  our 
regiment  were  no  exceptions  to  the  general  rule,  but  first  they 
sought  their  homes  where  they  received  the  warmest  greetings 
known  to  men.  Among  the  many  public  receptions  given 
them  was  a  grand  celebration  of  the  home-coming  of  the  regi- 
ment, held  in  the  park  at  Decatur.  On  this  occasion  eloquent 
orations  were  delivered  in  which  the  achievements  of  the  reg- 
iment were  reviewed  in  glowing  terms  and  to  which  General 
Moore  responded  in  his  usual  happy  manner. 

An  incident  of  the  home-coming  illustrating  the  character 
of  the  men  composing  the  regiment  is  perhaps  worth  a  place 
in  this  closing  chapter.  The  men  had  been  ten  months  with- 
out pay  and  were  nearly  all  destitute  of  money  when  leaving 
Nashville  for  the  North.  That  the  men  of  Company  E  might 
have  a  little  money  for  necessaries  on  the  way,  Lieutenant 
Royse  borrowed  $100  of  the  colonel  and  reloaned  it  to  the  men, 
from  $2  to  $5  each,  without  taking  any  receipt  or  making  a 
memorandum  of  who  had  received  it  or  how  much  each  had 
taken ;  but  that  made  no  difference,  for  every  dollar  was  re- 
turned when  they  received  their  pay  at  Camp  Butler. 


AFTER  THE  WAR.  255 

Only  a  short  time  was  spent  in  receiving  greetings  and  visit- 
ing friends.  All  were  anxious  to  be  settled  and  at  work  again. 
Many  at  once  returned  to  their  old  vocations,  while  many 
others  having  a  wider  outlook  in  the  world's  affairs,  acquired 
by  their  army  experience,  sought  new  occupations  and  pro- 
fessions and  new  fields  of  operation.  Many  returned  to  school 
and  college ;  others  went  to  college  who  had  never  before 
thought  it  possible.  All  entered  the  struggle  for  success  in 
civil  life  with  as  much  interest,  if  not  as  much  excitement,  as 
when  they  went  up  Snodgrass  Hill,  and  the  result  shows  that 
they  have  made  as  good  citizens  and  have  attained  as  high 
positions  in  business,  social  and  public  life  as  any  similar 
number  of  men  in  the  country.  The  survivors  of  the  H5th 
may  well  point  with  pride  to  the  after-war  record  of  its  men, 
as  shown  in  some  slight  degrees  only,  in  the  sketches  following 
in  these  pages. 

As  early  as  1876  a  reunion  association  of  the  survivors  of 
the  regiment  was  formed  at  Decatur,  and  frequent  reunions 
have  since  been  held.  About  ten  years  ago  a  resolution  was 
adopted  to  hold  these  meetings  annually,  and  since  then  reg- 
ular annual  reunions  have  been  held,  those  of  the  last  three 
years  being  held  at  Springfield,  on  Old  Soldiers'  day,  and  the 
day  previous,  during  the  State  Fair. 

The  present  officers  of  the  association  are  Major  Frank  L. 
Hays,  president,  and  Adjutant  Allen  Litsenberger,  secretary, 
both  of  Decatur,  111. 


APPENDIX. 


SPECIAL  ARTICLES. 

SERGEANT   ALFRED    SHIVELY    OF    COMPANY    F. 
From  a  letter  to  H.  B.  Durphe,  Esq.,  from  Colonel  Moore. 

I  can  testify  that  he  was  one  of  the  best  men  I  ever  knew, 
in  every  relationship  he  sustained  in  the  army.  He  fell  late  in 
the  evening  on  the  bloody  field  of  Chickamauga,  after  having 
shown  on  that  ever  memorable  Sunday,  as  well  as  on  the  day 
previous,  the  most  sublime  and  astonishing  courage.  His 
patriotism  and  love  of  country  were  boundless.  The  severest 
toils,  sacrifices  and  privations  were  endured  by  him  with  the 
utmost  cheerfulness.  His  own  interests  were  in  many  respects 
the  last  he  looked  after.  The  comfort  and  security  of  others 
seemed  often  to  engross  his  mind  to  the  exclusion  of  his  own 
personal  convenience.  His  aim  was  the  farthest  possible  re- 
moved from  selfishness.  He  was  emphatically  honest,  gener- 
ous, high  minded,  honorable ;  he  was  a  man  of  uncommon 
sympathies,  tender  and  kind  to  his  sick  and  suffering  com- 
rades, and  ever  ready  to  minister  to  their  wants  when  in  his 
power.  I  had  intended  that,  if  he  was  killed  in  battle,  his 
body  should  not  be  left  in  a  strange  land — but  how  little  do 
we  know  what  sort  of  fate  awaits  us  or  our  friends  when  we 
go  out  with  our  lives  in  our  hands  to  meet  in  deadly  conflict 
the  enemies  of  our  country.  I  did  not  know  that  my  brave 
Alfred  had  fallen  till  that  bloody  battle-field  was  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  foe.  Pressed  by  overwhelming  numbers,  whom  we 
had  fought  for  five  hours,  and  out  of  ammunition,  we  were 
compelled  to  fall  back  to  another  position,  leaving  our  dead 
and  manv  of  our  wounded  behind.  His  brave  lieutenant- 

J 

colonel,  William   Kinman,   was  buried  by   strangers   on  the 
same  field,  forever  consecrated  by  .the  blood  of  brave  men, 


258  AT  CHICKAMAUGA  AND  CHATTANOOGA. 

who  scorned  danger  for  love  of  country.  When  last  I  saw 
Alfred  Shively  he  had  rushed  some  distance  in  advance  of  his 
company  of  brave  comrades — and  he  had  as  brave  men  by  his 
side  as  ever  stood  in  battle — waving  his  hat  and  shouting, 
"Come  on,  boys ;  the  day  is  ours !"  I  trembled  for  his  safety 
in  his  exposed  position.  The  carnage  about  this  time  was 
terrible.  And  there  he  went  down.  His  comrades  are  of  the 
opinion  that  he  was  killed  instantly.  I  must  not  neglect  to 
state  that  on  my  recommendation  he  had  been  ordered  to 
Nashville  to  take  a  position  as  a  commissioned  officer  in  a 
regiment  of  colored  troops.  The  order  came  a  few  days  before 
the  great  fight,  but  he  declined  going  till  after  the  battle,  for 
every  lofty  spirit  in  our  grand  army  seemed  to  covet  the  privi- 
lege of  participating  in  what,  to  all  appearance,  promised  to 
be  the  great  battle  of  the  war. 


CHICKAMAUGA  AND  SIEGE  OF  CHATTANOOGA. 
From  a  letter  to  H.  B.  Durphe,  Esq.,  from  Colonel  Moore. 

Much  that  I  have  said  in  reference  to  Sergeant  Shively  is 
applicable  to  others,  for  my  brave  boys  deserve  the  highest 
praise.  They  have  rendered  their  regiment  immortal.  There 
are  no  better  disciplined  men  in  the  army,  none  more  obedient 
to  orders,  none  more  patient  amidst  the  scenes  of  suffering. 
They  have  not  had  a  blanket,  or  even  a  shelter  tent  since  we 
left  Bridgeport,  September  I2th.  Our  baggage  was  ordered 
up  after  the  fight,  but  was  lost  with  the  train  captured  October 
2d  by  Wheeler,  who  has  since  paid  dearly  for  the  whistle,  and 
our  facilities  for  transportation  are  so  poor  that  I  have  not 
been  able  to  supply  them.  As  serious  as  these  privations  may 
seem  to  the  friends  at  home  who  sit  around  cheerful  fires, 
sleep  on  soft  beds  and  gratify  their  appetities  with  the  choic- 
est productions  of  a  land  of  plenty,  I  am  persuaded  that  you 
could  find  nowhere  a  merrier  or  more  cheerful  crowd  than  can 
be  seen  every  day  in  my  camp.  My  men,  with  but  few  excep- 
tions, are  hearty  and  absolutely  growing  fat  on  three-quarters 
rations.  A  sad  group  we  were,  however,  the  morning  after 
the  battle  when  we  numbered  the  lost,  and  looked  upon  our 


CAPT.  JAS.  A.  RUTHERFORD. 
COMPANY  I. 


CLOSING  SCENES  OF  CHICKAMAUGA.  259 

wounded  whom  we  had  brought  along  with  us  through  the 
darkness  of  the  night  to  our  camp  at  Rossville ;  and  many  the 
tears  that  were  shed.  We  talked  but  little,  for  our  hearts  were 
too  full  for  utterance.  We  were  not  discouraged,  for  we  knew 
we  had  won  the  day,  though  we  had  abandoned  the  field  at 
night.  The  enemy  by  vastly  superior  numbers  has  pushed  us 
sorely,  but  utterly  failed  to  grasp  the  prize  for  which  we  had 
so  desperately  striven.  Will  those  whose  privilege  it  has  been 
to  enjoy  the  peaceful  quiet  of  home  while  the  shrill  clarion  of 
war  has  been  sounding  through  the  land  honor  the  war-torn 
citizen  soldier  as  he  returns  with  laurels  won  on  fields  of  blood, 
and  acknowledge  him  gratefully  as  their  own  and  their  coun- 
try's defender? 


CLOSING  SCENES  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  CHICKAMAUGA. 
By  Judge  G.  S.  Robinson  of  Iowa,  then  a  private  in  Company  H. 

A  rebel  line  of  battle  soon  appeared,  formed  across  the 
ridge  at  about  the  point  where  our  center  went  over  in  the 
first  charge  and  faced  east.  Firing  commenced  and  in  a  few 
moments  I  was  wounded  and  disabled  for  further  service.  I 
dragged  myself  eastward  a  short  distance.  Soon  after  that 
the  2ist  Ohio  advanced  over  me  in  magnificent  style,  going 
westward.  According  to  the  reports  they  broke  the  rebel  line, 
but  as  they  had  almost  no  ammunition  were  soon  forced  back. 
One  of  them  helped  me  a  short  distance  and  left  me.  While 
lying  there  I  saw  Sergeant  Housley  of  Company  E,  going  from 
tree  to  tree  making  his  way  east.  I  called  to  him  to  help  me  off 
if  he  could,  but  I  presume  he  thought  he  could  not,  and  he  soon 
disappeared  in  the  twilight.  He  was  the  last  man  of  the  H5th 
I  saw  on  the  field  and  was  game  to  the  end.  I  believe  he  was 
captured.  Sergeant  Van  Hague  of  Company  H,  who  became 
separated  from  the  regiment  while  assisting  the  wounded,  says 
he  was  with  the  22d  Michigan  a  little  farther  to  the  left,  and 
fired  all  but  his  last  round  with  them.  This  was  the  last  fight- 
ing on  the  field,  and  the  ii5th  was  represented  in  it.  I  was 
on  the  ridge  all  night,  but  no  rebels  passed  over  it,  excepting 
the  force  which  captured  portions  of  the  22d  Wisconsin,  2ist 
and  Spth  Ohio,  and  they  soon  withdrew. 


260  CLOSING  SCENES  OF  CHICKAMAUGA. 

I  was  surprised  the  next  morning  to  see  the  rebels  in  pos- 
session of  the  field.  Early  in  the  morning  I  was  carried  to  the 
Snodgrass  house  on  the  east  end  of  the  ridge.  The  house  was 
of  logs,  small,  and  filled  with  federal  wounded,  as  was  the 
ground  outside.  The  surgeons  were  so  few  that  my  wound, 
a  severe  one,  was  not  dressed  during  the  four  or  five  days  I 
was  there.  About  the  third  day  a  rebel  officer  rode  up  and 
said  that  some  of  our  wounded  had  been  discovered  in  the 
woods,  who  had  been  without  care  of  any  kind  since  they 
were  wounded,  but  no  help  could  be  furnished.  There  was  no 
shelter  outside  the  hospital  for  those  at  the  house.  Our  dead 
on  Snodgrass  Hill  were  carefully  collected  by  Longstreet's 
men  and  buried,  and  rails  were  hauled  and  fences  built  about 
the  graves.  That  was  not  true,  I  am  told,  of  our  dead  in  the 
vicinity  of  Kelly's  farm,  few  if  any  of  them  being  buried. 
When  being  taken  from  the  Snodgrass  house  to  the  Cloud 
hospital,  some  five  or  six  days  after  the  battle,  I  saw  one  of 
our  dead,  bloated,  lying  in  Kelly's  field  where  he  fell,  not 
twenty  yards  from  the  La  Fayette  road,  which  was  then  a 
great  thoroughfare.  At  Cloud's  there  were  a  few  tents,  an 
abundance  of  water  and  rather  more  care  for  the  wounded. 
Quite  a  number  of  the  H5th  men  were  there.  On  Sunday, 
the  27th,  just  a  week  from  the  time  I  was  wounded,  my  wound 
received  the  first  attention  it  had  been  given  by  a  surgeon, 
excepting  one  bathing  the  day  before,  and  I  have  reason  to 
believe  that  I  was  among  the  fortunate  wounded.  Some  had 
not  then  been  brought  in  from  the  field.  On  Tuesday,  the 
29th,  I  was  paroled,  and  with  some  2,500  others  was  sent  into 
our  lines  at  Chattanooga. 

Among  the  incidents  of  the  battle  may  be  mentioned  the 
following:  Sergeant  Aylesworth  of  Company  K  was  conspic- 
uous for  his  bravery,  even  to  rashness,  and  was  killed  while 
in  front  of  our  lines  trying  to  bring  in  a  rebel  as  prisoner.  I 
have  heard  it  said  that  he  had  succeeded  in  bringing  in  five 
that  way  before  he  was  shot.  Sergeant  Shively  of  Company 
F  is  said  to  have  been  killed  while  in  front  of  his  company 
cheering  them,  with  his  hat  on  his  gun.  Elmer  E.  Robinson 
of  Company  H  fell  mortally  wounded  and  was  left  on  the  field. 


SPECIAL  SERVICE  OF  COMPANY  G.  261 

His  last  words,  spoken  just  before  the  regiment  was  with- 
drawn, were :  "If  I  die,  tell  father  I  died  doing  my  duty."  A 
young  officer  of  another  regiment  at  our  left  received  his 
death  wound  and  said :  "I  shall  die,  but  that  is  nothing  if  we 
beat  them/' 


SPECIAL  SERVICE  OF  COMPANY  G. 
By  Captain  J.  W.  Dove. 

Company  G  was  on  detached  service  on  several  occasions. 
During  the  summer  of  1864,  while  the  regiment  was  at  Tunnel 
Hill,  Company  G  was  sent  up  the  railroad  to  intercept  a  party 
of  rebels  who  were  attempting  to  ditch  a  train  and  after  a 
short  skirmish  the  rebels  were  driven  away.  The  company 
had  its  full  share  in  all  the  service  of  the  regiment.  At  Chick- 
amauga  the  company  lost  19  men  killed  and  wounded,  out  of  a 
total  of  36.  Captain  Espy  being  on  staff  duty,  Lieut.,  J.  W. 
Dove  had  command  of  the  company,  and  of  course  continued 
in  command  after  his  promotion  to  captain,  after  the  battle 
of  Chickamauga. 

Among  the  incidents  illustrating  the  heroism  of  the  men  of 
Company  G,  the  conduct  of  George  Fancher  should  have  a 
prominent  place.  Never  strong,  he  was  taken  quite  ill  while 
near  McAfee  Church,  on  the  I9th,  but  refused  to  be  sent  to 
the  hospital.  On  the  morning  of  the  2Oth  the  surgeon  directed 
that  he  be  sent  to  the  hospital  as  being  too  sick  to  remain  with 
the  command,  but  with  tears  in  his  eyes  he  pleaded  that  he 
might  remain  and  share  the  battle  with  his  comrades,  saying, 
"I  want  to  be  with  the  boys  if  there  is  a  battle."  I  permitted 
him  to  have  his  way,  but  how  he  stood  that  rapid  march  to 
Snodgrass  Hill  is  a  mystery  to  me.  He  kept  his  place  in  line, 
bravely  doing  his  full  part,  until  a  ball  struck  him  and  killed 
him  instantly. 

Captain  Espy  had  been  acting  brigade  commissary,  but  had 
been  ordered  to  return  to  his  company ;  he  knew  a  great  bat- 
tle was  expected,  and  asked  that  the  change  be  deferred  till 
after  the  battle,  saying  to  the  lieutenant,  "What  the  company 
is  vou  have  made  it,  and  I  do  not  want  to  come  now  and  take 


262  NASHVILLE  AND  AFTER. 

all  the  chances  of  honor  from  you."  His  conduct  in  the 
battle  was  worthy  the  highest  honors.  Remaining  on  the  staff, 
he  fell  while  carrying  an  order  from  General  Whitaker  to 
Colonel  Moore. 


BATTLE  OF  NASHVILLE  AND  PURSUIT  OF  HOOD. 

(A  letter  from  Colonel  Moore  to  his  wife,  dated  Huntsville,  Ala., 
January  u,  1865.  Colonel  Moore  then  commanded  the  second  bri- 
gade of  the  first  division  of  the  4th  corps.) 

On  the  morning  of  December  15,  1864,  just  at  dawn,  we 
moved  from  behind  our  fortifications  around  Nashville  to 
attack  Hood,  who  was  entrenched  in  our  front  about  one  mile 
distant.  The  day  was  warm  and  damp,  and  a  dense  fog  so 
obscured  our  movements  that  the  enemy  was  not  apprised  of 
our  intentions  till  our  skirmish  lines  struck  his.  Brisk  skir- 
mishing commenced  about  nine  o'clock  and  continued  to  be 
more  lively  till  toward  noon,  when  our  artillery  opened  and  the 
battle  commenced  in  earnest  and  waged  till  about  four  in  the 
afternoon,  when  the  rebel  line  gave  way  in  complete  rout  and 
the  day  was  ours.  It  was  too  late  to  pursue  with  any  advan- 
tage that  night,  but  we  had  already  captured  a  large  number 
of  prisoners  and  several  pieces  of  artillery.  Many  advantages 
had  been  gained  earlier  in  the  day,  which  greatly  encouraged 
our  forces,  but  the  whole  line  was  not  carried  till  late  in  the 
evening.  We  went  into  camp  that  night  on  ground  previ- 
ously occupied  by  the  enemy.  The  whole  region  round  was 
vocal  with  vehement  cheering  and  the  bands  discoursed  the 
most  lively  patriotic  airs,  but  about  ten  o'clock  at  night  tired 
nature  yielded  to  repose,  and  all  became  as  silent  as  the  grave. 
The  next  morning  we  were  early  awake,  and  had  dispatched 
breakfast  and  were  again  in  line  of  battle  before  sunrise.  Mov- 
ing out  to  see  what  had  become  of  the  enemy,  the  first  im- 
pression was  that  he  had  fled.  We  threw  out  skirmishers  and 
advanced  in  line  of  battle,  and  found  after  marching  about 
two  miles  that  he  had  taken  up  a  new  position  in  our  front, 
heavily  entrenched  and  prepared  to  give  battle.  We  crowded 
up  nearer  and  nearer,  the  noise  of  the  conflict  gradually  in- 
creasing till  about  ten  o'clock,  when  along  different  sections  of 


NASHVILLE  AND  AFTER.  263 

cur  line  the  battle  became  fierce.  Our  heavy  guns  kept  up  a 
constant  and  sublime  roar,  while  the  very  earth  trembled  for 
miles.  It  was  the  most  magnificent  scene  I  ever  witnessed. 
The  air  was  sometimes  absolutely  clouded  with  smoke.  The 
whistling  of  bullets  and  the  unearthly  scream  of  shells  would 
have  been  terrific  to  the  uninitiated.  Still  our  brave  army 
crowded  on,  heedless  of  danger  and  confident  of  victory. 
About  two  o'clock  the  rebel  left  was  broken,  and  by  three 
we  had  taken  possession  of  the  entire  line,  driving  the  enemy 
like  chaff  before  the  whirlwind.  It  was  a  glorious  sight  to  see 
the  stars  and  stripes  borne  onward  that  day  and  planted  upon 
the  battlements  of  the  enemy.  On  this  day,  as  we  had  about 
one  hour  of  daylight  left  when  the  rebels  gave  way,  we  pur- 
sued with  vigor  and  made  many  captures  of  men,  small  arms 
and  prisoners.  Our  brigade  captured  over  six  hundred  pris- 
oners, six  or  eight  hundred  small  arms,  and  six  pieces  of 
artillery.  It  commenced  raining  about  four  in  the  afternoon 
and  rained  almost  all  night,  but  fortunately  for  us  it  was  not 
cold.  We  camped  about  six  miles  from  Nashville,  and  were 
so  tired  as  to  sleep  soundly  almost  regardless  of  the  rain. 
Early  on  the  morning  of  the  I7th  we  took  up  the  line  of  march 
along  the  Franklin  pike,  OUT  cavalry  in  advance.  It  rained 
nearly  all  day,  and  the  mud  was  everywhere,  so  that  there  was 
nothing  left  but  to  plunge  in  and  make  the  best  of  it.  We 
marched  rapidly,  overtook  the  enemy,  and  captured  quite  a 
large  number  of  prisoners,  and  three  additional  pieces  of 
artillery.  The  infantry  went  into  camp  at  Franklin,  but  the 
cavalry  fording  the  Harpeth  River,  pursued  three  or  four 
miles  beyond.  During  the  night  we  built  a  bridge  across  the 
Harpeth  River  and  on  the  morning  of  the  i8th  again  set  out 
in  pursuit  and  marched  sixteen  miles  toward  Columbia.  At 
Franklin  2,000  rebels  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Franklin  fell 
into  our  hands  with  all  their  hospitals.  We  found  there  also 
about  300  of  our  wounded,  who  were  unavoidably  left  in  the 
enemy's  hands  when  we  fell  back,  on  the  3Oth  of  November. 
You  may  be  sure  they  were  glad  to  see  us. 

The  battle  of  Franklin  was  one  of  the  bloodiest  of  the  entire 
war,  and  was  terriblv  severe  on  the  enemy.     Our  loss  was 


264  NASHVILLE  AND  AFTER. 

nearly  2,000,  and  his  7,000  or  8,000  killed,  wounded  and  cap- 
tured; he  lost  six  generals  killed,  one  captured  and  three  or 
four  badly  wounded.  I  passed  over  the  battle-field  and  had 
never  before  seen  such  terrible  signs  of  destruction.  There 
were  more  men  killed  and  wounded  at  Franklin  than  in  the 
two  days'  fight  in  front  of  Nashville.  The  reason  of  this  is 
that  the  enemy  at  Franklin  repeatedly  charged  our  works  over 
a  smooth  open  field.  The  charges  were  every  time  repulsed 
with  most  fearful  slaughter. 

On  the  night  of  the  i8th  we  camped  within  eight  miles  of 
Columbia.  During  the  afternoon  of  this  day  our  cavalry 
again  came  up  with  the  enemy  and  captured  another  squad  of 
prisoners.  On  the  morning  of  the  igih  we  again  broke  camp, 
but  marched  only  two  or  three  miles,  having  to  wait  for  a 
bridge  to  be  built  across  Rutherford's  Creek,  six  miles  north 
of  Columbia.  On  this  day  we  again  had  rain,  and  in  the  after- 
noon the  weather  became  cold  and  stormy.  Dr.  Bane  and  I 
took  shelter  in  a  private  house,  where  we  remained  till  after 
dinner  the  next  day.  In  the  afternoon  we  crossed  Rutherford's 
Creek  and  marched  to  within  sight  of  Columbia,  where  we 
were  compelled  to  wait  for  pontoons  upon  which  to  cross  Duck 
River,  the  enemy  having  burned  the  bridges  in  his  retreat  to 
delay  our  pursuit.  On  this  day,  the  2Oth,  the  weather  grew 
colder,  and  the  night  was  exceedingly  uncomfortable,  cold  and 
stormy.  Wood,  Lieutenant  Peddecord,  and  I  slept  in  a  simple 
shelter  tent,  and  scarcely  escaped  freezing.  Next  morning, 
learning  that  we  would  remain  in  camp  all  day,  we  sent  back 
three  miles  to  the  wagon,  and  had  our  wall  tent  brought  up 
and  our  little  stove,  when  we  were  made  secure  against  the 
storm.  We  spent  the  night  of  the  2ist  of  December  com- 
fortably and  all  of  the  22d.  The  weather  continued  very  cold 
Night  came  on,  but  we  were  well  prepared  with  wood,  and  our 
beds  were  made  down  for  another  comfortable  night's  rest, 
when  we  were  informed  that  the  pontoon  bridge  was  finished, 
and  that  we  had  to  cross  the  river  that  night.  The  bugles 
sounded,  the  tents  were  all  struck,  and  the  march  commenced. 
We,  however,  went  into  camp  after  crossing  the  river  and 
marching  about  two  miles  beyond.  I  suffered  severely  with 


NASHVILLE  AND  AFTER.  265 

cold  that  night,  but  by  the  aid  of  our  camp  fires  we  soon 
thawed  out  and  sought  rest  in  sleep.  The  ground  was  cov- 
ered with  snow  that  had  to  be  removed  before  making  down 
our  beds.  Next  morning,  the  23d,  found  me  well,  however, 
and  able  for  my  allowance  of  hardtack  and  fat  meat.  After 
breakfast  I  was  summoned  to  take  command  of  the  brigade, 
General  Whitaker  having  started  home  to  attend  the  Kentucky 
Legislature.  This  day  rny  brigade  had  the  advance  of  all  the 
infantry,  and  after  marching  four  or  five  miles  we  came  upon 
the  rear  guard  of  the  enemy  and  skirmished  with  them,  and 
soon  put  them  into  flight,  killing  a  rebel  captain.  This  was  the 
last  time  that  our  infantry  came  in  sight  of  the  retreating  foe. 
In  the  evening  we  came  into  camp,  having  marched  about  six 
miles.  The  next  day  we  marched  twelve  or  fourteen 
miles,  and  went  into  camp  about  two  miles  south  of  Linville, 
on  the  road  between  Columbia  and  Pulaski.  This  was  Christ- 
mas Eve ;  I  slept  in  a  stable  and  slept  well.  This  day  our 
cavalry  had  several  skirmishes  with  the  rebel  rear  guard, 
inflicting  some  damage,  and  receiving  some.  The  next  day, 
Christmas,  we  pushed  on  vigorously  and  our  cavalry  again 
came  up  with  the  enemy  and  killed  several.  We  pursued  six 
or  eight  miles  beyond  Pulaski  on  the  Florence  road,  and  in 
the  evening  our  cavalry  had  quite  a  fight  with  Forrest,  in 
which  we  lost  several  horses  and  men  captured,  and  some  men 
killed  and  wounded.  But  in  turn  we  captured  quite  a  squad  of 
prisoners,  and  killed  and  wounded  some  of  the  enemy.  I  was 
fortunate  enough  to  get  my  quarters  on  Christmas  night  in  a 
house,  and  slept  alone  in  an  old  fashioned  feather  bed.  This 
was  grateful,  for  the  day  had  been  a  dismal  one  and  the  night 
was  wet  and  cold.  Owing  to  the  wretched  condition  of  the 
roads,  our  trains  did  not  get  up,  and  we  were  compelled  to  lie 
by  the  next  day  to  wait  for  rations.  So  the  night  of  the  26th 
T  again  occupied  the  feather  bed. 

The  cavalry  pursued  on  the  26th,  and  again  overtook  the 
enemy  and  captured  another  lot  of  prisoners.  But  for  want 
of  rations  they  were  compelled  to  lie  by  on  the  27th,  and  hence 
we  overtook  them  in  the  evening  of  that  day,  and  camped  in 
the  same  vicinity  on  a  stream  called  Sugar  Creek,  about  twenty 


266  NASHVILLE  AND  AFTER. 

miles  south  of  Pulaski.  On  the  morning  of  the  28th  we  again 
set  out  and  marched  to  Lexington,  a  little  town  twenty  or 
twenty-five  miles  from  the  Tennessee  River.  Our  cavalry 
pushed  on  nearly  to  the  river  and  ascertained  that  the  rebel 
icar  guard,  by  marching  day  and  night,  had  succeeded  in 
crossing  and  had  taken  up  their  pontoons.  The  pursuit  was 
then  given  up,  as  it  was  not  our  intention  to  follow  beyond 
the  river.  The  morning  was  pleasant,  but  it  became  quite  cold 
by  night.  We  lay  in  camp  this  day  and  also  the  next,  awaiting 
supplies  and  orders.  Here  I  was  quite  ill  for  about  twenty- 
four  hours. 

On  the  3  ist  we  again  broke  camp  and,  turning  westward, 
started  for  Huntsville,  Ala.  We  marched  over  difficult  roads, 
about  fifteen  miles.  It  was  a  cold,  inclement  day,  and  we  were 
late  getting  into  camp.  But  we  soon  made  ourselves  com- 
fortable with  big  fires  as  luckily  the  wood  was  abundant.  The 
next  morning,  January  I,  1865,  we  marched  to  the  Elk  River 
and  stopped  to  build  a  bridge  across  that  stream.'  Here  we 
remained  till  nearly  noon  of  the  3d,  during  which  time  I  for- 
tunately again  had  my  quarters  in  a  house.  We  then  crossed, 
and  marched  ten  miles  to  Athens,  Ala.,  and  camped  for  the 
night,  my  quarters  being  in  a  nice  but  deserted  mansion.  On 
the  morning  of  the  4th  we  were  again  on  the  march,  and 
starting  early,  made  about  twenty  miles  and  camped  five  or 
six  miles  from  this  place.  The  weather  was  still  cold.  About 
noon  of  the  5th  we  reached  Huntsville  and  went  into  camp, 
where  we  are  at  present. 

The  country  through  which  we  passed  from  Nashville  to 
Pulaski  is  very  sightly  and  well  cultivated,  and  had  not  suffered 
greatly  from  the  war  until  this  fall  and  winter.  But  now  it  has 
had  its  full  share,  as  we  foraged  heavily  all  along  our  entire 
route  as  a  matter  of  necessity,  and  besides  the  rebels  had  been 
subsisting  upon  the  country  ever  since  they  entered  it.  The 
majority  of  the  inhabitants  have  heretofore  sympathized  with 
the  rebellion.  After  passing  Pulaski  we  entered  a  more  barren 
and  less  interesting  territory,  inhabited  chiefly  by  a  common 
class  of  uneducated  people,  who  seemed  to  know  but  little 
in  reference  to  the  nature  of  the  war.  It  was  the  most  densely 


LIEUT.  E.  K.  SCHWARTZ.  ADJT.  W.  VV.  PEDDECORD. 

LIEUT.-COL.  G.  A.  POTEET. 

CAPT.  JAS.  A.  WHITAKER.  CAPT.  PHILIP  RILEY. 

MAJ.  FRANK  L.  HAYS. 


NASHVILLE  AND  AFTER.  267 

timbered  country  I  ever  saw,  and  cultivated  only  in  the  little 
valleys  along  the  streams  which  traverse  this  region  of  south- 
ern Tennessee  and  northern  Alabama.  Athens  is  a  pretty 
place,  and  has  been  a  town  of  wealth  and  taste ;  the  country 
about  has  been  in  a  pretty  thorough  state  of  cultivation.  Be- 
tween Athens  and  Huntsville  the  country  is  only  fair,  but  on 
approaching  Huntsville  we  entered  one  of  the  most  romantic 
and  lovely  valleys  I  ever  saw.  This  whole  valley  has  been  a 
model,  in  former  days,  of  civilization,  refinement  and  beauty. 
The  city  of  Huntsville  was  once  a  gay,  fashionable  and  beauti- 
ful city,  filled  with  refined  and  well  educated  people,  and  the 
country  for  miles  around  was  adorned  with  costly  mansions 
and  splendid  farms.  But  the  rough  hand  of  war  has  done  sad 
work  in  this  locality.  Upon  the  whole,  we  have  had  a  cam- 
paign of  almost  unexampled  severity,  but  its  results  have  been 
of  sufficient  importance  to  compensate  us  for  all  our  sacrifices 
and  suffering. 


COLONEL  POTEETS  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE  BATTLE 
OF  CHICKAMAUGA. 

The  Reserve  Corps  under  command  of  Major-General  Gran- 
ger occupied  the  extreme  left  of  the  army  at  McAfee's  Church. 
On  the  evening  of  the  ipth  we  engaged  the  enemy,  losing  six 
men.  On  the  morning  of  the  2Oth,  finding  no  enemy  in  his 
front,  General  Granger  moved  his  command  to  the  support  of 
General  Thomas.  Between  twelve  and  one  o'clock  we  en- 
gaged the  enemy  on  Snodgrass  Hill,  with  continuous  fighting 
until  dark.  The  men  had  exhausted  all  their  ammunition,  and 
had  to  supply  themselves  from  the  cartridge  boxes  of  the  killed 
and  wounded.  The  regiment  made  several  charges  with  fixed 
bayonets,  and  with  the  assistance  of  two  guns  of  Battery  M, 
Illinois  Artillery,  held  the  ground  until  dark,  when  General 
Steedman  sent  Lieutenant  Pepoon,  inspector-general  on  his 
staff,  to  pilot  the  regiment  off  the  field.  In  retiring  from  the 
field,  I  met  General  Palmer  and  shook  hands  with  him.  I  have 
seen  the  general  several  times  since,  and  he  told  me  that  the 
1 1 5th  was  the  last  regiment  to  leave  the  field.  He  promised 
to  give  me  a  written  statement  to  that  effect,  but  has  neglected 


268  PRISON  LIFE. 

to  do  it  until  now.  So  many  have  claimed  to  be  the  last  regi- 
ment off  the  field,  he  has  concluded  not  to  commit  himself  in 
regard  to  the  matter.  I  am  certain,  however,  there  were  none 
of  our.  troops  on  our  right  or  left,  or  in  our  front,  when  we 
left  the  field,  for  we  rested  quite  a  while  after  coming  off. 
There  was  no  more  fighting,  and  no  regular  command  came 
off  the  field  near  us  that  could  be  seen.  The  enemy  moved  up 
and  occupied  our  position,  after  we  abandoned  it. 


.IN  REBEL  HANDS. 
By  Captain  Jesse  Hanon. 

I  was  brigade  provost-marshal  on  the  staff  of  General  Whit- 
aker,  performing  the  duty  of  aide-de-camp,  when  late  in  the 
evening  of  September  20,  1863,  I  think  after  the  last  gun  was 
fired,  I  was  captured.  Lieutenant  Pepoon,  also  serving  as 
aide  on  General  Whitakers  staff,  and  I  had  just  taken  to  the 
rear  Lieutenant  Moore,  our  brigade  assistant  adjutant-general, 
who  was  supposed  to  be  mortally  wounded.  I  left  Lieutenant 
Pepoon  to  care  for  Lieutenant  Moore  and  hastened  to  return 
to  my  post  of  duty,  but  in  doing  so  ran  into  the  line  of  battle 
of  the  enemy.  The  woods  being  full  of  smoke  I  was  unable 
to  distinguish  them  from  our  own  troops. 

A  miserable  night  and  day  on  the  battle-field  among  the 
wounded  and  dead  and  then  a  hard  march  brought  us  to  Ring- 
gold  at  midnight,  the  second  day  after  the  battle.  Then  to 
Atlanta  and  then  to  Richmond  in  the  usual  route  of  a  prisoner 
of  war  with  its  hardships,  and  only  occasional  oases  in  the 
desert  of  misery  made  by  kindness  of  rebel  officers.  At  times 
the  provost  guard  divided  their  sweet  potatoes  with  us.  Once 
or  twice  I  was  given  liberty  on  taking  a  parole  not  to  escape. 

On  our  way  to  Richmond  I  fell  in  with  Major  J.  R.  Muhle- 
mann,  General  Palmer's  adjutant-general,  with  whom  I  messed 
for  more  than  twelve  months.  Of  the  Christian  fortitude  and 
piety  of  Major  Muhlemann  I  never  can  speak  in  sufficient 
terms.  He  would  sometimes  rebuke  us  for  what  seemed 
wrong,  but  only  with  a  look  of  pity  and  love.  He  was  one  of 
the  few  men  I  ever  knew  who  could  not  endure  the  least 


PRISON  LIFE.  269 

vulgarity.  He  would  not  speak  to  the  one  offending,  but 
would  quietly  rise  and  move  away.  He  was  as  modest  and 
tender  as  the  most  refined  woman. 

We  arrived  at  Libby  prison  on  the  3Oth  of  September  and 
took  quarters  in  the  lower  Chickamauga  room,  which  will  be 
understood  was  one  occupied  by  Chickamauga  prisoners.  I 
doubt  if  any  other  building  the  size  of  Libby  has  ever  con- 
tained men  of  a  greater  variety  of  talent  and  a  wider  range 
of  professions  and  occupations — military  men,  statesmen,  ora- 
tors, doctors  of  divinity,  doctors  of  medicine,  lawyers,  college 
professors,  architects,  painters,  sculptors,  poets,  musicians, 
actors,  bankers,  merchants,  farmers,  and  mechanics — the  best, 
most  learned  and  most  skillful  in  every  walk  in  life 

Our  fare  was  poor  and  meager  in  quantity.  Corn-bread  of 
unbolted  meal,  a  few  cow  peas  badly  bug  eaten,  sometimes  a 
little  rice,  occasionally  a  little  wormy  bacon  or  hash  made  of 
very  poor  beef  or  mule  meat  constituted  our  rations,  never 
having  any  vegetables  of  any  kind.  After  the  visit  of  the 
famous  John  Morgan,  who  had  enjoyed  the  fare  of  Northern 
prisons,  our  rations  were  materially  increased.  It  will  nat- 
urally be  asked  how  we  spent  our  time  I  answer,  'In  ways 
as  various  as  idle  moments  suggest  in  other  walks  of  life.' 
We  had  books,  magazines  and  the  daily  papers,  scientific  lec- 
tures by  college  professors,  schools  in  German  and  French 
and  in  the  sciences,  religious  services  on  Sunday  by  Chaplain 
(now  Bishop)  C.  C.  McCabe  and  others,  lectures  by  Neal  Dow 
and  others.  We  had  many  games  such  as  cards,  dominoes, 
chess  and  checkers.  The  drama  was  also  cultivated,  we  hav- 
ing among  our  number  as  fine  talents  as  the  country  afforded. 
A  fine  orchestra  contributed  to  our  entertainment.  No  one 
without  such  experience  can  form  an  adequate  idea  of  the 
wonderful  resourcefulness  of  those  prisoners  and  of  the  talent 
displayed.  Some  who  had  not  completed  their  college  course 
continued  their  studies  in  spite  of  hunger  and  suffering. 

After  seven  months  at  Libby  we  were  removed  to  Macon, 
Ga.,  and  after  the  fall  of  Atlanta,  to  Savannah,  and  thence  to 
Charleston.  Here  we  were  placed,  some  in  the  work  house, 
some  in  the  marine  hospital,  and  the  rest  in  the  jail  yard,  it 


270  PRISON  LIFE. 

being  intended  that  we  should  thus  be  under  the  fire  of  the 
Union  guns  and  prevent  damage  to  the  city,  but  it  never  had 
that  effect,  as  our  gunners  knew  our  several  locations  and  no 
prisoner  was  ever  hurt  by  our  guns.  Our  next  stop  was  at 
Camp  Sorghum  near  Columbia,  so  named  from  the  burnt 
molasses  which  constituted  our  principal  diet.  At  this  camp 
we  suffered  intensely  and  here  I  became  very  ill  with  rheu- 
matic fever  brought  on  by  long  exposure  to  cold  and  storm, 
from  which  I  came  very  near  answering  the  last  roll  call.  I 
will  never  forget  a  kindness  I  then  received  from  Captain 
Cooper  of  the  Confederate  army,  a  brother  mason,  who  gave 
me  $20  Confederate  money  with  which  I  bought  a  half-pound 
of  butter  for  $7,  a  half-dozen  eggs  for  another  $7,  and  six 
biscuit  with  the  remaining  $6.  The  prisoners  having  a  little 
money  bought  some  beef  to  make  broth  for  the  sick.  A  cup 
of  broth  with  an  egg  broken  in  it  as  long  as  my  stock  lasted 
was  a  great  treat  to  me,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  change  of 
diet  saved  my  life.  From  Camp  Sorghum  they  took  us  to  the 
Asylum  grounds.  On  the  approach  of  Sherman  about  the 
middle  of  February,  1865,  we  were  again  given  a  railroad 
journey,  and  while  the  train  was  moving  Lieut.  Joseph  Gore 
of  my  company  made  his  escape  and  succeeded  in  reaching 
Sherman's  army.  We  arrived  at  Charlotte,  N.  C.,  on  the  i6th 
of  February  full  of  hope  for  an  immediate  exchange,  but  other 
horrid  scenes  were  yet  to  pass  before  us.  At  Raleigh  we  met 
the  poor  fellows  who  had  survived  the  horrors  of  Anderson- 
vine  as  they  were  being  taken  in  train  loads  to  the  point  of 
exchange.  At  Goldsboro  a  great  many  not  dead  but  unfit 
for  exchange  were  taken  from  the  trains  and  left  in  an  open 
field  without  shelter  to  suffer  and  die  under  a  pitiless  sky.  On 
the  first  day  of  March,  1865,  we  passed  through  the  lines  nine 
miles  from  Wilmington.  Many  tears  of  joy  were  shed  at  be- 
holding the  flag  for  the  first  time  in  nearly  eighteen  months. 


SOUTHERN  PRISONS. 

By  James  F.  King. 

The  story  of  Southern  prison  pens  forms  a  chapter  of  Amer- 
ican history  that  North  as  well  as  South  might  well  forget. 


PRISON  LIFE.  271 

How  they  could  exist  in  a  civilized  land,  I  cannot  under- 
stand, but  the  history  of  the  H5th  Illinois  would  be  incom- 
plete without  some  record  of  the  patriotic  sufferings  of  those 
who  died  beneath  the  rebel  flag.  That  they  died  patriots  and 
that  honor  was  dearer  to  them  than  life,  one  little  incident  will 
prove.  It  was  at  Florence,  S.  C.,  our  last  prison  pen.  Four  of 
us,  all  of  the  H5th,  were  occupants  of  a  hut  about  six  feet 
square,  made  of  slabs  split  from  the  sides  of  the  last  avail- 
able tree  in  the  stockade,  and  on  which  we  worked  all  night 
on  our  arrival  there.  They  were  held  upright  by  some  sand 
heaped  on  the  outside  and  covered  with  remnants  of  some 
old  blankets.  It  was  very  cold  and  the  December  rains  beat 
into  our  dwelling,  making  it  a  wet  and  chilly  burrow,  yet  we 
were  rich  compared  with  thousands  who  had  nothing  but  the 
sand  and  sky.  We  were  skeletons  eaten  with  gangrene  and 
rotting  with  scurvy,  shaking  with  chills,  burning  with  fever  and 
getting  too  weak  to  eat  the  raw  meal,  or  to  longer  fight  the 
lice  that  now  swarmed  over  us.  We  had  been  through  Libby 
Prison,  Danville  Prison,  Macon,  Charleston  and  Anderson- 
ville.  The  deaths  were  thirty  to  sixty  daily.  Now  the  rebel 
sergeants,  who  called  the  roll,  came  to  us  with  this  story : 
"Lee  has  whipped  General  Grant  and  Great  Britain  has  recog- 
nized the  independence  of  the  Confederate  States ;  you  all 
will  die  here  and  we  do  not  want  to  hold  you  prisoners  any 
longer.  The  war  will  be  over  in  a  few  days,  and  we  will  let 
you  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Confederacy,  take  you 
out  and  give  you  tents,  wood,  and  the  same  rations  as  our 
own  men."  Of  fifteen  thousand  men  some  two  hundred  or 
three  hundred  took  that  oath.  We  four  of  the  H5th  talked 
it  over  and  took  a  vote.  "All  opposed  to  taking  the  oath  say 
'aye.' '  Four  weak  voices  responded  "Aye,"  and  the  honor 
of  the  1 1 5th  was  not  tarnished  by  us. 

Seven  days  after  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  at  Brown's 
Ferry,  seven  miles  below  Chattanooga,  I  left  the  regiment  and 
crossed  the  river  for  forage,  under  orders  from  Colonel  Moore, 
the  squad  consisting  of  about  fifteen  men  in  charge  of  Lieuten- 
ant Utter.  We  were  ambushed,  fired  upon  and,  save  two  or 
three,  captured  by  Longstreet's  sharp-shooters ;  one  of  our 


272  PRISON  LIFE. 

number,  a  member  of  Company  B,  fell  dead  in  his  tracks.  We 
were  taken  first  to  Libby  Prison ;  later  to  another  tobacco 
factory  known  as  the  "Smith  Building."  Besides  these  were 
the  Pemberton  building,  Castle  Thunder  and  one  other  to- 
bacco factory  or  warehouse  used  as  prisons.  The  walls  were 
heavy  and  the  windows  heavily  bound.  Built  to  accommodate 
slave  labor,  they  were  well  adapted  for  war  purposes.  While 
en  route  from  Richmond  to  Danville,  by  purloining  the  caps 
from  the  guns  in  the  hands  of  two  of  the  guards  in  our  car,  and 
leaping  from  the  moving  train  into  the  rain  and  darkness,  I 
made  my  escape.  Trying,  with  the  aid  of  the  stars,  to  make 
the  Union  lines  by  way  of  Cumberland  Gap — after  five  days 
and  nights  of  extreme  effort  and  suffering — I  was  recaptured. 

As  to  the  treatment  and  accommodations  in  the  prisons : 
First,  we  were  robbed  of  everything  that  would  help  to  sustain 
life ;  money,  jewelry,  clothing,  knife,  comb,  canteen  and  haver- 
sack had  to  be  given  up.  At  Atlanta  we  were  robbed  again, 
again  at  Libby,  again  at  Danville.  After  that  we  were  not 
worth  searching.  Many  were  coatless,  hatless  and  without 
shoes,  hundreds,  if  not  thousands,  without  pants.  In  this 
condition  more  than  four  thousand  creatures  that  once  were 
men  were  turned  into  Andersonville  to  be  the  prey  of  vermin, 
disease  and  starvation. 

At  Richmond  we  had  hydrant  water ;  at  Danville  we  carried 
water  from  the  Dan  River ;  at  Charleston  we  secured  water 
by  digging  holes  five  feet  deep ;  at  Andersonville  and  Flor- 
ence, our  supply  was  from  the  brooklets  that  flowed  into  the 
swamps  and  which  were  at  once  our  sewer  and  drinking  sup- 
ply, and  the  sewer  of  the  rebel  camp  above.  We  never  had 
vessels  in  which  to  warm  water,  nor  fuel,  nor  soap  to  wash 
clothing.  The  lice  multiplied  by  millions,  by  pints  and  quarts, 
and  we  fought  them  as  best  we  could,  but  could  not  conquer 
them.  Thirty-three  years  have  passed,  and  I  bear  their  marks. 

The  ration  was  so  small  that  strong  men  died  of  starvation, 
while  weaker  ones  survived.  The  bread  at  Richmond  was 
good,  and  sometimes  the  meat ;  at  other  times  the  meat  was 
putrid,  blue  in  color  and  announced  its  coming  a  block  away. 
It  was  beef,  mule  and  salt  pork.  Often  no  meat  was  issued, 


PRISON  LIFE.  273 

and  in  lieu  thereof  we  had  pease,  sweet  potatoes,  rice  or  mo- 
lasses. For  lack  of  vessels  of  some  kind  in  which  to  receive 
these,  many  men  were  obliged  to  use  the  remnant  of  a  blanket, 
a  shirt,  or  take  off  trousers  or  drawers  and  knot  the  legs  to 
form  a  bag,  into  which  the  steaming  rice,  pease  and  sweet 
potatoes  were  shoveled. 

But  for  the  shreds  of  blankets  and  clothing  stretched  on  little 
sticks,  there  was  practically  no  shelter.  Thousands  who  had 
rags  enough  to  cover  a  part  of  the  body  could  secure  no  sticks 
on  which  to  stretch  them ;  of  these,  some  burrowed  in  the 
sand.  These  burrows  were  protection  in  dry  weather,  but  the 
frequent  storms  rilled  them  with  water  and  caved  them  in. 
The  rain  literally  washed  the  sand  over  the  bodies  lying  on 
the  hillsides  in  the  stormy  nights,  and  the  hot  sun  caused  the 
flesh  to  open  in  great  cracks,  where  flies  and  maggots  made 
their  homes. 

In  Richmond  and  Danville  there  was  some  medical  atten- 
tion given  prisoners ;  in  the  stockade  practically  none.  Rebel 
doctors  burned  our  gangrene  ulcerations  with  an  acid  that 
made  them  smoke,  but  did  not  check  the  disease. 

To  cross  the  dead  line  or  to  touch  it  was  death.  To  escape 
and  to  be  recaptured  was  to  be  torn  by  the  hounds,  bucked 
and  gagged,  placed  in  the  stocks  or  in  the  chain  gang.  These 
punishments  often  ended  in  death.  The  favorite  punishments 
of  Captain  Wirz  were  the  stocks  and  the  chain  gang.  The 
commandant  at  Florence  hung  those  who  had  tried  to  escape 
by  the  thumbs.  I  heard  their  shrieks  thi  ough  the  long  nights. 
As  I  passed  down  the  hill  at  Andersonville  one  day,  the 
crowd  was  pouring  water  over  the  naked  body  of  a  man 
sitting  on  the  sand.  He  was  torn  and  bruised  from  head  to 
foot ;  his  face,  breast,  back  and  limbs  were  covered  with  bites. 
'T  could  have  fought  off  the  dogs,"  he  said,  "but  they  covered 
me  with  their  revolvers  and  set  them  on  me  until  they  were 
tired."  But  the  saddest  sight  to  me  was  the  chain  gang, 
wearily  walking  down  and  up  the  hill.  Where  one  went  all 
must  go,  bareheaded,  almost  naked  and  chained  together  with 
heavy  iron  balls  between. 


274  .PRISON  LIFE. 

War  is  cruel  and  terrible,  and  our  Civil  War  was  no  excep- 
tion. There  is  something  thrilling  in  the  idea  of  troops  rushing 
to  battle.  We  felt  it  as  we  saw  the  columns  of  our  division 
rising  and  falling  over  the  hills  and  valleys  of  hostile  States. 
We  felt  it  on  those  tiresome  marches  when  covered  with  dust, 
guns  carried  at  will,  accoutrements  all  awry,  suddenly  bright 
muskets  flashed  in  position,  cartridge  boxes  shifted  around 
and  we  fell  into  step,  because  the  notes  of  the  "Star  Spangled 
Banner"  came  ringing  down  the  column.  We  felt  it  as  we 
went  into  action  at  Chickamauga,  but  this  had  all  passed  away 
when  in  unromantic  furrow  of  corn  and  cotton  field  we  saw 
the  stiffened  forms  of  our  comrades  of  the  day  before,  or  when 
in  the  prison  stockades  these  remnants  of  men  with  hollow 
eyes  and  shrunken  lips  tried  to  smile  and  sustain  the  courage 
and  patriotism  of  one  another. 

After  a  prison  experience  of  not  quite  fifteen  months,  I  was 
one  of  ten  thousand  of  the  weakest  cases  sent  North  on  special 
parole.  I  can  yet  see  the  look  of  mingled  joy  and  despair  on 
the  faces  of  my  three  comrades  of  the  H5th,  as  I  passed  the 
double  gates  of  the  stockade — joy  for  me  who  was  going 
home ;  for  themselves,  no  hope.  I  never  heard  of  them  again, 
but  I  still  see  them  try  to  smile  through  the  prison  grime  on 
their  faces.  I  sec  their  parting  salute,  and  hear  their  "Good- 
bye, Jim !  Good-bye." 


PRISON  LIFE. 
By  J.  M.  Waddle,  Company  E. 

We  reached  Atlanta  September  27th,  making  the  trip  from 
Dalton  in  box  cars.  We  were  taken  to  the  stockade  and 
searched  at  the  gate ;  then  turned  in  and  the  gate  closed  after 
us.  We  remained  there  until  October  4th,  when  we  were 
taken  through  Augusta  to  Richmond,  to  old  Libby  Prison. 
We  were  marched  in  and  searched  again,  and  then  marched 
out  and  put  in  the  old  tobacco  warehouse  across  the  street. 
On  the  I4th  of  November  we  were  again  stowed  in  box  cars, 
and  on  the  i5th  arrived  at  Danville,  Va.,  where  we  were  put 
in  an  old  tobacco  house  for  safe  keeping.  The  smallpox  was 


A.  W.   BIDDLE. 


ROBERT  BIVANS. 


JOSEPH  M.  WADDLE. 
ALL  OF  COMPANY  E. 


WM.  G.  HENRY. 


PRISON  LIFE.  275 

raging  there  and  Albert  Ruby  of  Company  E  became  one  of 
the  victims.  We  spent  the  winter  in  that  miserable  prison. 
Although  Albert  Ruby  recovered  from  the  smallpox,  many 
others  died,  including  Nicholas  Bumgardner  of  our  regiment. 
On  April  I4th  they  put  us  on  the  road  again,  taking  us  first 
to  Petersburg,  thence  through  Raleigh,  Salisbury,  Charlotte, 
Columbia,  Augusta  and  Macon,  to  the  notorious  Anderson- 
ville.  Our  first  impression  on  entering  the  stockade  was  that 
we  were  being  put  in  with  a  lot  of  negroes,  but  on  closer  in- 
spection we  found  they  had  been  white  men  once,  but  were 
blackened  by  sitting  around  pitch  pine  fires,  which  they  had  to 
do  to  keep  warm.  When  we  entered  the  prison  April  20,  1864, 
the  prisoners  were  dying  at  the  rate  of  thirty  per  day.  In  July 
the  deaths  were  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  per  day. 
The  most  common  diseases  were  diarrhea,  scurvy,  gangrene 
and  smallpox.  I  had  the  scurvy  and  suffered  very  much  with 
it,  but  was  removed  to  the  hospital,  where  I  could  get  some 
green  things  to  eat,  and  became  better.  Albert  Ruby  was 
again  very  sick,  but  finally  recovered.  William  C.  Darmer, 
Albert  Ruby  and  myself,  all  of  Company  E,  and  John  Nance 
of  Company  G  stuck  close  together.  I  will  not  attempt  to 
describe  the  awful  suffering  of  the  prisoners  at  Anderson- 
ville — that  has  been  well  done  by  others.  On  September  loth 
we  were  delighted  to  leave  the  horrid  place,  arriving  at  Au- 
gusta, Ga.,  the  next  day.  Our  journey  was  continued  east- 
ward to  Charleston,  where  we  were  put  on  the  cars  again  and 
run  from  one  place  to  another,  finally  reaching  the  prison  pen 
at  Florence,  S.  C.  On  the  2d  of  October,  they  tried  to  get 
us  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Confederacy.  I  told 
them  I  would  die  first.  Some  of  the  boys  took  the  oath,  think- 
ing they  would  have  a  better  chance  for  escape.  On  the  2/th 
of  November  they  marched  us  out  of  the  stockade  and  the 
rebel  doctors  made  an  examination  to  find  who  among  us 
were  nearest  dead.  The  result  was  they  selected  1,000  of  us 
and  marched  us  to  the  depot  and  started  us  on  the  cars  to 
Savannah,  Ga.,  where  on  the  last  day  of  the  month  we  were 
loaded  on  board  a  steamer  and  started  down  stream.  We  soon 
came  in  sight  of  the  stars  and  stripes  floating  over  the  Ameri- 


276  PRISON  LIFE. 

can  fleet.  Our  joy  was  beyond  bound,  our  emotions  inde- 
scribable at  seeing  deliverance  so  near  and  beholding  once 
more  the  flag  of  our  country.  Weak  as  we  were,  we  did  some 
hearty  cheering  on  being  transferred  to  the  Union  transports, 
which  meant  that  we  had  been  exchanged.  The  first  thing 
that  we  did  was  to  strip  off  our  old  clothes  and  throw  them 
overboard,  and  after  a  thorough  scrub,  we  appeared  in  new 
clothes.  Then  came  a  ration  of  hot'coffee  and  crackers,  and 
we  began  to  feel  that  we  were  in  God's  country  once  more. 
On  the  4th  of  December  we  arrived  at  Fortress  Monroe,  and 
on  the  6th  at  Annapolis,  Md.,  where  a  brass  band  met  us  at 
the  wharf  and  escorted  us  to  the  barracks.  As  soon  as  we 
were  a  little  recruited  they  took  us  to  College  Green,  where 
we  remained  until  able  to  travel.  Then  furloughs  were  given 
us.  I  arrived  at  home  on  the  2d  of  December,  a  year  and 
three  months  from  the  time  of  my  capture. 


EXPERIENCE  OF  ROBERT  YOUNG,   COMPANY   H. 

I  was  one  of  the  party  captured  September  24,  1863,  in  the 
attempt  to  take  the  ferry-boat  down  to  Brown's  Ferry.  After 
being  searched  and  robbed  of  our  valuables,  we  were  taken  to 
Richmond,  Va.,  by  way  of  Atlanta  and  through  the  Carolinas. 
On  arrival  at  the  capital  of  the  Confederacy  we  were  put  in 
the  Pemberton  building,  an  old  tobacco  factory.  We  were 
then  searched  and  our  money,  watches  and  other  valuables 
taken,  under  promise  that  they  would  be  returned  when  we 
should  be  exchanged  or  paroled.  It  is  needless  to  say  the 
promise  was  never  kept.  I  had  a  five  dollar  greenback,  which 
I  carefully  hid  in  my  clothes,  and  offered  them  eighty-five 
cents  in  script,  which  they  refused  to  take,  as  I  told  them  it 
was  all  I  had.  That  $5  when  invested  in  bread  fully  compen- 
sated for  the  lie  I  told.  We  had  a  great  time  trading  with  the 
guards.  A  dollar  in  greenbacks  was  worth  ten  dollars  in 
Confederate  money.  The  eagerness  of  the  Confederate  guards 
to  get  Union  money  led  some  of  our  soldiers  into  sharp  prac- 
tice, by  way  of  raising  the  denomination  of  bills,  a  $i  bill  being 
frequently  raised  to  a  $10  and  passed  off  on  the  guards  as 


PRISON  LIFE.  277 

such,  no  great  care  being  taken  in  scrutinizing  the  money.  In 
that  way  the  smart  boys  secured  much  good  bread  and  tobacco 
without  seriously  disturbing  their  consciences.  In  November 
we  were  taken  to  Danville  and  there  kept  in  prison  until  April 
14,  1864.  We  were  then  taken  to  Andersonville,  Ga.,  where 
eight  or  ten  thousand  prisoners  were  confined  in  a  stockade 
covering  only  a  few  acres.  In  June  or  July  the  number  of 
prisoners  reached  thirty  thousand.  I  endured  all  the  horrors 
of  Andersonville  known  to  any  that  were  able  to  survive  it. 
The  story  would  be  too  long  to  give  the  details. 

One-half  of  the  prisoners  had  no  shelter  of  any  kind  what- 
ever, and  all  suffered  greatly  for  want  of  food.  To  add  to 
the  horrors  of  the  situation,  the  prison  was  infested  with  a  lot 
of  our  own  men  who  would  overpower  the  weak,  take  their 
rations  and  leave  them  to  die.  Such  robberies  were  frequent, 
some  of  the  gang  not  hesitating  at  murder.  Finally  a  police 
squad  was  formed  among  the  prisoners,  and  about  fifty  of 
the  robbers  were  taken  out  and  tried  by  their  fellow  prisoners 
and  six  of  them  were  condemned  to  be  hanged  for  their  crimes. 
On  the  I2th  of  July  a  gallows  was  erected  and  Captain  Wirz, 
the  prison  commandant,  delivered  the  six  culprits  to  the  other 
prisoners  to  be  dealt  with  as  their  sense  of  reason,  justice  and 
mercy  should  dictate.  The  catholic  priest  begged  that  they 
might  be  spared.  As  they  were  about  to  ascend  the  scaffold, 
one  of  them  tried  to  run  away,  but  he  was  soon  captured  and 
led  up  with  the  others,  and  they  were  all  hanged  together. 
After  that  we  had  better  order  among  us  and  the  rights  of  the 
weak  were  more  respected.  The  terrible  diseases,  typhoid 
fever,  dropsy,  scurvy  and  diarrhea  constantly  prevailed  in  the 
camp,  and  the  daily  death  list  was  frightful.  As  the  men  died 
they  were  carried  on  blankets  to  the  dead  house  and  thence 
to  the  cemetery,  each  being  numbered  and  his  name  written 
on  the  death  roll ;  many  were  marked  unknown.  Nearly 
fourteen  thousand  of  our  brave  boys  were  left  buried  in  that 
prison  graveyard.  It  was  a  time  of  great  rejoicing  when  we 
marched  out  of  the  prison  pen,  September  10,  1864,  and  started 
towards  Charleston.  We  were  then  confined  in  a  field  at  a 
race  course,  being  guarded  by  the  5th  Georgia  regiment.  We 


278  PRISON  LIFE. 

were  removed  from  there  to  Florence,  S.  C.,  where  about 
twelve  thousand  prisoners  were  confined,  the  death  rate  being 
almost  as  great  there  as  at  Andersonville.  In  November  about 
two  thousand  were  paroled ;  I  being  the  twentieth  man  from 
the  gate  when  the  number  was  completed,  was  compelled  to 
wait  for  another  chance.  I  had  become  so  weak  from  want 
of  food  that  when  I  finally  left  Florence  I  had  to  be  assisted 
to  the  railroad,  which  Joseph  Large  and  James  Shaw  of  Com- 
pany A  did  to  the  best  of  their  ability,  for  which  I  now  desire 
to  return  them  heartfelt  thanks.  It  was  then  January,  1865. 
We  stopped  at  Wilmington,  N.  C.,  on  the  day  the  Union  army 
was  fighting  at  Fort  Fisher,  and  could  hear  the  siege  guns 
very  distinctly.  They  then  hurried  us  out  of  Wilmington  to 
Goldsboro,  our  army  entering  the  place  soon  after  we  left. 
We  remained  at  Goldsboro  until  about  March  ist.  There  be- 
ing no  stockade,  we  were  confined  in  a  woods  by  a  guard  line 
thrown  around  us.  Our  fuel  was  green  pine  wood,  and  as  it 
rained  most  of  the  time  we  had  more  smoke  than  fire,  and  a 
very  uncomfortable  time  indeed.  Soon  after  that  we  were 
numbered  by  thousands  and  paroled,  and  passed  through  the 
lines  at  Cape  Fear  River,  some  ten  miles  from  Wilmington. 
I  had  been  a  prisoner  for  525  days.  From  Wilmington  I  was 
taken  to  Annapolis,  Md.,  and  from  there  soon  to  Benton  Bar- 
racks, near  St.  Louis ;  thence  to  Camp  Butler,  where  I  was 
mustered  out  on  June  14,  1865.  I  was  never  exchanged,  but 
was  mustered  out  as  a  paroled  prisoner. 


IN  SOUTHERN  PRISONS. 

By  William  Tyson. 

The  history  of  the  H5th  being  already  well  supplied  with 
incidents  connected  with  the  Southern  prisons,  I  will  content 
myself  with  a  very  brief  outline.  Our  tour  through  the  South 
was  much  the  same  as  that  of  others.  As  we  marched  into 
Selma,  Ala.,  the  sidewalks  were  lined  with  Southern  women 
waving  their  handkerchiefs  at  the  rebel  guards  and  shouting, 
"Here's  your  Yankee !  Here's  your  Lincoln  dogs !  Here's 
your  nigger  officers !"  From  Selma  we  had  a  steamboat  ride 
to  Cahaba  and  were  then  sent  to  Millen,  Ga.,  by  way  of  Mont- 


PRISON  LIFE.  279 

gomery.  When  Sherman  was  on  his  march  to  the  sea  he  sent 
General  Kilpatrick  to  rescue  us,  but  the  rebels  learning  of  it, 
hurried  us  down  to  Savannah,  thence  to  Thomasville,  and  from 
there  marched  us  across  the  country  to  Andersonville,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  sixty  miles.  A  pack  of  ten  or  twelve  blood- 
hounds followed  our  trail  until  we  were  safe  in  Andersonville, 
which  we  reached  on  the  26th  of  December,  having  marched 
through  creeks  and  swamps  filled  with  ice  much  of  the  way. 

As  I  have  not  seen  them  published  elsewhere  I  submit  here- 
with the 

RULES  OF  ANDERSONVILLE  PRISON. 

1.  There  will  be  two  daily  roll  calls  at  the  prison;   one  at 
8  a.  m.  and  one  at  4  p.  m. 

2.  The  prisoners  are  divided  into  detachments  of  one  hun- 
dred men  each.     Five  detachments  will  constitute  a  division. 

3.  Each  division  must  occupy  the  grounds  assigned  to  it 
for  encampment.     No  huts  or  tents  must  be  erected  outside 
the  camping  grounds. 

4.  Each  detachment  must  elect  a  sergeant.    The  five  ser- 
geants of  a  division  will  appoint  one  of  their  number  to  draw 
the  rations  of  the  whole  division. 

5.  The  sergeants  are  responsible  for  the  cleanliness  of  their 
encampment.    They  will  each  day  make  a  detail  from  among 
their  men  to  police  the  camp  throughout.    Any  man  refusing 
to  do  police  duty  will  be  punished  by  the  sergeant  by  bucking 
him  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 

6.  No  rations  will  be  issued  to  any  division  unless  all  the 
men  are  present  at  roll  call.     The  sergeant  in  charge  of  the 
detachment  must  report  every  absentee.     If  he  fails  to  do  so, 
and  the  missing  man  makes  his  escape  he  will  be  put  in  close 
confinement  until  the  missing  man  is  recaptured. 

7.  The  sergeant  of  a  detachment  will  report  all  the  sick  in 
his  detachment  and  will  carry  them,  after  roll  call,  to  the  re- 
ceiving hospital.    After  examination  by  the  sergeant  in  charge 
he  will  leave  those  who  are  admitted  and  carry  the  others  back. 
He  will  at  the  same  time  take  charge  of  those  belonging  to  his 
division  who  may  be  discharged  from  the  hospital. 


280  AT  BUZZARD   ROOST. 

8.  The  prisoners  have  the  privilege  of  writing  twice  a  week. 
No  letter  must  be  over  one  page  in  length  and  must  contain 
nothing  but  private  matters. 

9.  Any  prisoner  has  .the  right  to  ask  an  interview  with  the 
commandant  of  the  prison  by  applying  to  the  sergeant  in 
charge  of  the  gate  between  the  hours  of  10  and  n  a.  m. 

10.  The  sergeants  of  detachments  and  divisions  must  re- 
port to  the  commandant  of  the  prison  any  shortcoming  of 
rations. 

11.  No  prisoner  must  pass  the  dead  line  or  talk  with  any 
guard  on  post  or  attempt  to  buy  or  sell  anything  to  the  sen- 
tinel,  the  sentinels  having  strict  orders   to  fare  at  any   one 
passing  the  dead  line,  if  attempting  to  speak  to  or  trade  with 
them. 

12.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  detachment  sergeant  to  carry  any 
men,  who  should  die  in  quarters,  immediately  to  the  receiving 
hospital,  giving  to  the  hospital  clerk  the  name,  rank,  regiment 
and  State  of  the  deceased. 

13.  To  prevent  stealing  in  camp  the  prisoners  have  a  right 
to  elect  a  chief  of  police,  who  will  select  as  many  men  as  he 
deems  necessary  to  assist  him.     He  and  the  sergeants  of  the 
divisions  have  a  right  to  punish  any  man  who  is  detected 
stealing.    The  punishment  shall  be  shaving  of  one  half  of  the 
head  and  a  number  of  lashes,  not  exceeding  fifty. 

These  rules  were  secured  by  A.  J.  Terrill  of  Company  D, 
to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  them. 

Our  mess  in  Andersonville  consisted  of  Sergeant  Jacoby, 
P.  A.  Zimmerman,  A.  J.  Terrill,  M.  P.  Julian  and  myself. 
While  we  were  there  John  S.  Smith  was  taken  sick  and  died 
on  February  I,  1865.  On  the  25th  of  March,  1865,  we  left  that 
villainous  pen  and  were  sent  to  Vicksburg  for  exchange,  and 
were  thence  transferred  to  St.  Louis,  paid  off,  and  furloughed 
home. 


COMPANY  D  AT  BUZZARD   ROOST- 

By  Major  Samuel  Hymer. 

Soon  after  the  regiment  came  to  Tunnel  Hill  in  July,  1864, 
Company  D  was  assigned  to  guard  a  bridge  at  Buzzard  Roost 


CHRISTIAN  D.  COWGILL. 

SERGT.  H.  N.  KEEP.  EDWARD  D.  COWGILL. 

CHRISTIAN  D.  COWGILL.  ROBERT  YOUNG. 

ALL  OF  COMPANY  A. 


AT  BUZZARD  ROOST.  281 

Gap,  a  little  more  than  half  way  from  Tunnel  Hill  to  Dalton. 
At  that  time  there  were  no  fortifications  in  the  place  and  the 
company  was  kept  busy  for  some  time  making-  log"  breast- 
works for  their  defence.  In  August  a  company  of  engineers 
arrived  and  with  the  aid  of  Company  D  built  a  very  substan- 
tial blockhouse.  The  company  occupied  a  row  of  tents  on  the 
bank  of  the  creek  near  the  blockhouse,  being  ready  to  enter 
that  stronghold  in  case  of  need.  The  company  had  three  miles 
of  railroad  to  patrol  and  keep  open,  which,  with  other  duties, 
kept  them  very  busy  day  and  night.  Frequent  raids  were 
made  by  Confederate  cavalry  and  the  company  occasionally 
had  slight  skirmishes  with  them,  without  loss,  however.  On 
one  occasion  a  horse  was  killed  and  its  rebel  rider  severely 
wounded. 

General  Wheeler  came  in  the  valley  some  time  in  Septem- 
ber with  quite  a  force  of  cavalry  and  attacked  Dalton,  but  the 
garrison,  making  stout  defence,  held  them  in  check  until  the 
arrival  of  General  Steedman  with  a  force  from  Chattanooga. 
After  General  Hood  left  Atlanta  on  his  raid  on  the  North  the 
country  about  Buzzard  Roost  was  constantly  filled  with  rebel 
scouts  so  that  we  were  compelled  to  be  always  on  the  alert 
expecting  an  attack. 

As  my  account  of  Hood's  attack  on  our  blockhouse  is  given 
in  substance  in  the  body  of  the  history,  it  is  not  necessary  to 
repeat  it  here,  but  an  incident  is  worth  mentioning.  Squire 
Bechtol  of  Company  D  was  illiterate,  but  proved  to  be  the 
smartest  man  in  the  company.  When  the  blockhouse  was 
captured  he  lay  on  the  ground  groaning  and  appearing  to  be 
badly  wounded,  and  would  not  let  anyone  touch  him,  so  he 
was  left  there  with  the  wounded  and  after  the  rebels  were  gone 
with  the  prisoners,  he  managed  to  come  to,  having  only 
feigned  injury. 

After  the  surrender  we  were  taken  to  General  Bate's  head- 
quarters, where  we  were  asked  many  questions.  The  next 
morning  after  the  capture  a  detail  from  Company  D  buried 
the  dead.  The  wounded  were  taken  to  a  house  nearby  and 
left  there  to  make  the  most  of  their  condition,  while  the  rebel 
army  moved  on. 


282  AT  BUZZARD  ROOST. 

We  were  fairly  well  treated  by  our  captors  and  recognition 
made  of  our  gallant  defense,  being  permitted  to  retain  our 
side  arms  and  most  of  our  personal  effects.  The  company 
went  on  a  tour  through  the  Confederacy,  via  Selma  and 
Montgomery,  Ala.,  to  Milieu,  where  Lieutenant  Jones  and 
myself  were  separated  from  the  enlisted  men.  By  special 
exchange  fifteen  of  the  men  were  sent  North  and  the  others 
left  to  take  their  chances  in  Andersonville  and  other  prisons. 
Lieutenant  Jones  and  I,  with  other  officers  were  sent  to  Camp 
Sorghum,  near  Cloumbia.  There  we  met  Captain  Hanon 
and  Lieutenant  Gore  of  Company  A.  As  Sherman  ap- 
proached we  were  taken  to  Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  sev- 
enty-five men  being  put  in  each  box-car.  At  Charlotte  many 
prisoners  made  their  escape,  the  guards  not  being  any  longer 
careful  to  prevent  it.  I  preferred  to  wait  a  little  longer  and 
be  exchanged,  which  occurred  soon  after,  and  Lieutenant 
Jones  and  I  came  to  Annapolis,  Md.  After  a  visit  home  we 
were  ordered  to  Benton's  Barracks,  near  St.  Louis,  where 
we  met  the  remnant  of  Company  D,  which  had  been  ex- 
changed at  Vicksburg,  and  were  soon  after  discharged. 


THE  ATTACK   ON  THE  BLOCK  HOUSE. 
By  William  Tyson. 

On  October  13,  1864,  Hood's  army  of  nearly  forty  thousand 
came  to  the  blockhouse.  It  was  a  beautiful  day  and  we  had 
been  very  busy  all  of  the  forenoon  fixing  up  winter  quarters, 
as  we  expected  to  remain  there  all  winter.  We  borrowed  a 
yoke  of  oxen  and  a  cart  to  do  our  hauling  with  and  as  Anson 
Underbill  was  an  expert  at  driving,  we  put  him  in  charge  of 
the  team.  We  were  getting  along  nicely  until  about  noon, 
when  we  saw  some  men  ride  up  on  top  of  the  hill,  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  south  of  us.  At  that  distance  we  could  not 
make  out  whether  they  were  friends  or  foes,  but  surmised  that 
they  were  rebels,  and  every  fellow  broke  for  the  blockhouse. 
Captain  Hymer  said,  "Give  them  a  few  shots  and  we  will  find 
out  who  they  are."  Four  or  five  others  of  the  company  and  I 
stepped  out  about  thirty  feet  in  front  of  the  blockhouse,  raised 


AT  BUZZARD  ROOST.  283 

our  guns  and  fired.  We  had  hardly  more  than  discharged  our 
pieces,  when  out  of  the  woods  to  our  right  a  volley  from  the 
rebel  guns  rang,  and  the  balls  came  flying  thick  and  fast  all 
around  us.  We  broke  for  the  blockhouse  on  the  double  quick. 
About  this  time  Anson  Underbill  drove  up  with  the  team  and 
Captain  Hymer  called  to  him  to  come  in.  Anson  said,  "Wait 
until  I  unhitch  the  oxen",  and  he  stayed  out  there  as  un- 
concernedly as  though  there  was  nothing  the  matter,  un- 
hitched the  team,  took  off  the  yoke,  turned  them  loose  and 
came  inside.  The  rebels  opened  fire  on  us  with  musketry 
and  artillery.  One  hundred  and  thirty-three  cannon  balls 
were  fired  at  the  fort ;  yet,  this  little  band  of  Spartans  held 
the  rebels  in  check  for  ten  hours,  when  they  were  finally 
forced  to  surrender.  Along  about  nine  o'clock  at  night  the 
firing  had  ceased  on  both  sides,  and  everything  had  become 
perfectly  quiet.  The  moon  was  almost  full,  and  was  just  be- 
ginning to  shine  around  the  spur  of  Rocky  Face  Ridge  and 
lighten  things  up,  when  the  rebels  were  seen  approaching  by 
the  way  of  the  bridge.  The  sentry  on  that  side  of  the  block- 
house halted  them  and  asked  them  what  they  wanted.  They 
replied  that  they  wanted  us  to  surrender.  Sergt.  Andrew 
Jacoby  and  Robert  Stewart  went  out  and  met  them  on  the 
bridge,  and  wanted  to  know  who  they  were.  One  of  them 
answered  that  he  was  General  Bate's  aide-de-camp  and 
wanted  us  to  surrender.  He  took  Jacoby  and  showed  him  the 
men  lying  along  side  the  railroad  embankment  with  lumber 
to  cross  the  ditch  on,  and  sharpened  rails  to1  stop  up  the  port 
holes  with,  and  told  him  if  we  did  not  surrender  they  intended 
to  charge  on  us  and  set  fire  to  the  fort  and  burn  it  down. 
The  sergeant  came  back  and  reported  to  Captain  Hymer  what 
they  had  seen,  when  Captain  Hymer  went  out  and  held  a 
consultation,  and  agreed  on  the  terms  of  surrender. 

In  this  engagement  five  were  killed,  six  wounded  and  thir- 
ty-seven taken  prisoners.  Nathan  Jones  was  shot  through 
the  forehead  with  a  musket  ball.  Joseph  Boyd  had  his  left 
arm  torn  off  at  the  shoulder  with  a  cannon  ball ;  he  lived  an 
hour  or  more  after  he  was  shot,  making  a  pitiful  noise  all  this 
time  and  begging  for  some  one  to  shoot  him  and  put  him 


284  AT  BUZZARD  ROOST. 

out  of  his  misery.  Fielden  Loe  had  has  head  blown  off  with  a 
cannon  ball.  John  Parish  had  his  left  arm  shot  off  with  a 
cannon  ball,  between  the  elbow  and  wrist,  and  was  badly 
bruised  on  the  left  side  with  a  piece  of  timber.  William 
Dixon  had  the  flesh  all  torn  off  the  inside  of  his  left  leg  above 
the  knee  by  a  cannon  ball ;  his  body  was  warm  the  next  morn- 
ing when  we  went  to  the  blockhouse  to  bury  him.  Patman 
Zimmerman,  two  others  whose  names  I  have  forgotten,  and 
myself  were  detailed  the  next  morning  to  bury  the  dead.  We 
dug  a  grave  about  six  feet  square  just  south  of  the  road  in 
a  nice  blue-grass  plat,  then  carried  them  out  and  laid  them 
in  it,  side  by  side,  wrapped  their  blankets  around  them  and 
covered  them  up.  They  have  all  been  taken  up  since  then 
and  removed  to  the  National  Cemetery  at  Chattanooga,  and 
are  buried  in  Section  K. 

We  never  knew  how  many  we  killed  of  the  rebels ;  some 
said  thirty-five,  while  others  said  we  did  some  very  wild 
shooting;  that  we  shot  away  over  them.  We  marched  out 
of  the  blockhouse  about  ten  o'clock  at  night.  The  moon  was 
shining  very  brightly  and  the  first  thing  I  noticed  was  the 
cannon  balls  which  had  struck  the  fort  and  bounded  back. 
There  was  at  least  a  good  two-horse  wagon  load  of  them  ly- 
ing around  on  the  ground.  The  southeast  corner  of  the  fort 
was  all  torn  into  splinters  from  top  to  bottom.  We  were  soon 
surrounded  by  the  rebel  guards  and  a  howling  mob  of  Con- 
federate soldiers.  They  would  ask  us,  "What  regiment  do 
you'ns  belong  to?"  We  told  them  we  belonged  to  the  H5th 
Illinois.  "Well,  we  thought  you'ns  were  Illinois  boys.  You 
just  fit  like  hell."  They  wanted  to  trade  us  out  of  every- 
thing we  had.  I  had  on  a  brand  new  hat  that  had  been  sent 
to  me  from  home;  along  came  a  Johnny  and  said,  "You've 
got  a  pretty  good  hat.  I  guess  we'll  trade,"  and  with  that  he 
jerked  it  off  my  head  and  slapped  his  on  in  place  of  it.  I 
afterwards  learned  that  he  took  it  off  a  Union  prisoner  at 
Misionary  Ridge  about  a  year  before.  It  was  all  full  of  holes, 
and  the  rim  hung  down  in  my  eyes.  I  think  I  must  have  had 
on  the  poorest  hat  in  Hood's  army. 


SPECIAL  SERVICE  OF  COMPANY  H.  285 

CAPTURE  OF  THE  FERRY  BOAT. 
By  J.  M.  Waddle,  Company  E. 

As  we  neared  Lookout  Mountain,  a  regiment  of  Long- 
street's  men  arose  and  poured  a  volley  of  bullets  into  our 
boat.  The  first  volley  wounded  our  mules  and  some  of  our 
men.  A  few  who  were  good  swimmers  leaped  into  the  river 
and  attempted  to  swim  to  the  opposite  shore,  but  a  fierce 
fire  was  kept  up  at  those  in  the  water.  F.  J.  Philbrook  of  Com- 
pany G  succeeded  in  reaching  the  shore  in  safety,  the  others 
being  killed  or  drowned  in  the  attempt.  Our  boat,  being  dis- 
abled, turned  round  and  round  and  rapidly  drifted  to  the  shore. 
The  rebels  then  ordered  us  to  jump  off  and  tie  the  boat,  and 
we  were  then  taken  to  Longstreet's  headquarters.  Henry 
Roberts  of  Company  E,  who  had  deserted  from  the  rebel  army 
and  joined  us  at  Normandy,  Tenn.,  in  August  previous,  was 
among  our  party.  When  they  took  our  names  he  gave  his 
nickname,  "John  Wilder."  They  then  marched  us  farther  up 
the  mountain,  soon  passing  a  line  of  battle.  As  we  came  near 
them  Roberts  remarked,  "There  is  my  old  regiment."  I  told 
him  to  draw  down  his  hat  over  his  eyes.  He  did  so,  but  they 
recognized  him  and  immediately  called  to  the  officers,  who 
handcuffed  him  and  marched  him  away.  We  learned  from 
the  rebels  that  he  was  shot  a  short  time  afterwards.  After 
marching  us  to  Bragg's  headquarters  and  taking  our  rubber 
blankets  and  other  equipments  from  us,  they  started  us  on  our 
journey  southward. 


SPECIAL  SERVICE  OF  COMPANY  H. 
By  Lieutenant  Hatfield. 

Of  the  detached  service  of  Company  H,  that  at  Greenwood 
Mills,  a  few  miles  north  of  Tunnel  Hill,  is  the  most  noted. 
The  Michigan  engineers  had  built  the  blockhouse  there  for 
the  purpose  of  protecting  the  bridge  across  the  creek  at  that 
place.  While  there  William  C.  Work  was  accidentally  killed, 
being  run  over  by  the  cars.  He  was  one  of  our  best  sol- 
diers. The  most  important  event  was  the  guerrilla  raid  on 
the  Qth  of  July,  1864.  They  had  approached  the  railroad,  and 


286  PIONEER  CORPS. 

lay  waiting  and  wishing  for  a  train  to  be  derailed,  and  its  pas- 
sengers to  be  thrown  into  the  trap.  In  command  of  a  squad, 
I  was  hurrying  down  the  road,  and  as  we  passed  into  the  cut 
near  the  little  bridge,  a  motley  crowd  of  men  arose  before  us, 
firing  at  the  same  time.  Samuel  Sloop  of  Company  A  was 
shot  through  the  body,  James  W.  Watson  of  Company  H 
received  a  wound  in  the  head  and  face,  and  Jeffrey  Oliver  was 
shot  through  the  chest,  from  which  wound  he  died  a  few 
days  afterward.  Before  he  was  shot,  Oliver  threw  up  his 
hands,  saying,  "I  surrender,  I  give  up",  but  Captain  Harvey, 
in  command  of  the  rebels,  paid  no  attention  to  the  call,  and 
shot  him,  as  above  stated.  This  was  the  party  of  raiders  that 
captured  James  Shaw  and  Joseph  Large  of  Company  A.  The 
prisoners  were  soon  relieved  of  their  money  and  their  captors 
hurried  over  the  hills  to  the  valley,  where  Dr.  Jones  was  mur- 
dered by  them.  The  shooting  of  Dr.  Jones  and  Private  Oli- 
ver was  wilful  and  cold-blooded  murder.  Company  H  re- 
mained at  Greenwood  until  after  the  rebels  had  turned  back 
from  Atlanta  and  had  captured  the  blockhouse  garrisoned  by 
Company  D.  It  joined  the  regiment  in  the  retreat  to  Nash- 
ville, but  soon  returned  to  its  post,  and  soon  after  went  to 
Adairsville,  Ga.,  Captain  Reardon  commanding  the  post. 
While  there  Captain  Reardon  received  the  following  tele- 
gram from  General  Sherman,  "This  is  the  rain  I  have  been 
looking  for.  When  it  is  over  I  will  be  off." 


THE  PIONEER  CORPS. 

The  following  list  of  pioneers,  detailed  from  the  H5th  to 
serve  in  the  advance  work  for  Sherman's  army  in  the  Atlanta 
campaign,  is  furnished  by  Corporal  Charles  Hill  of  that  de- 
tachment. They  did  efficient  service  in  that  line  until  after 
the  capture  of  Big  Shanty,  when  they  returned  to  the  regi- 
ment. 

Lieut.  P.  Riley,  Commanding,  Company  K. 
Corporal  Charles  Hill,  Company  A. 
Nicholas  C.   Madison,  Company  A. 
Samuel  Barrett,  Company  B. 
Jacob  Hinebough,  Company  C. 


CHASTAIN'S  SCARE.  287 


David  Reel,  Company  C- 
William  Markman,  Company  C. 
James  R.  Thomas,  Company  D. 
Joseph   Colister,   Company  D. 
George  Gregory,  Company  D. 
John  H.  Herdman,  Company  E. 
John  W.  Myers,  Company  E. 
Henry  Warren,  Company  F. 
Isaac  Jones,  Company  F. 
Patrick  McGuire,  Company  G. 
Elisha  Tuttle,  Company  G. 
Wm.  H.  Giger,  Company  I. 
C.  Hogland,  Company  I. 
George  Keller,  Company  H- 
Daniel  Denien,   Company  K. 


THOMAS  J.  CHASTAIN'S  SCARE. 

Thomas  J.  Chastain  of  Company  B  was  greatly  frightened 
while  on  picket  one  night,  in  the  woods  opposite  Resaca. 
While  sitting  on  a  log,  dividing  his  thoughts  between  home 
and  the  loved  ones,  and  the  duty  of  watching  for  the  John- 
nies, he  heard  a  frightful  noise  approaching  him.  While  un- 
decided whether  a  rebel  or  a  fox  were  the  cause,  a  streak  of 
red  and  green  ran  up  the  inside  of  his  pants,  adding  greatly 
to  his  fright,  but  before  he  could  move,  it  shot  out  of  a  con- 
venient hole,  and  leaped  up  a  sapling  near  by.  He  then  saw 
a  huge  lizard  that  appeared  to  him  at  least  a  foot  long.  He 
then  realized  that  it  was  enough  to  scare  any  one,  but  now 
thinks  of  it  as  a  very  ludicrous  incident. 


ROSTER. 


This  roster  is  intended  to  account  for  every  man  who  ever 
was  connected  with  the  regiment,  excepting  deserters  only. 
To  save  space  the  date  of  enlistment  is  omitted  as  to  all  who 
entered  the  service  at  the  organization  of  the  regiment,  and 
the  date  of  muster  out  is  omitted  as  to  all  who  were  mustered 
out  with  the  regiment,  hence  in  all  cases,  if  no  date  of  enlist- 
ment or  enrollment  is  given  it  will  be  understood  that  the 
person  named  enlisted  in  August,  1862,  at  the  organization 
of  the  particular  company,  and  if  no  date  of  muster  out  or 
discharge  is  given,  and  the  person  is  not  reported  as  having 
died  in  the  service,  it  will  be  understood  that  he  was  mustered 
out  with  the  regiment  on  June  n,  1865,  and  was  finally  dis- 
charged with  it  at  Camp  Butler,  Illinois,  June  27,  1865.  The 
residence  given  is  that  at  which  the  person  named  was  last 
heard  from.  In  some  instances  those  reported  as  dead  are 
possibly  still  living,  while  a  number  of  those  reported  as  living 
have  probably  died  since  last  heard  from.  An  earnest  en- 
deavor has  been  made  to  have  the  roster  accurate ;  if  errors 
are  found  let  them  be  charged  to  those  who,  having  the  facts, 
failed  to  furnish  them.  Deserters  are  omitted  because  their 
names  could  not  be  included  without  giving  the  fact  of  their 
desertion,  and  it  was  desired  not  to  enter  into  that  branch 
of  the  history  of  the  regiment.  It  has  not  been  attempted 
to  give  the  final  discharge  or  muster  out  of  those  marked 
transferred  to  other  companies. 


JOSEPH  R.  EDMONDS. 

COMPANY  E. 

TOBIAS  PINKBINE. 

COMPANY  B. 


RICHARD  UTTER. 

COMPANY  C. 

LIEUT.  JOSEPH  J.  SLAUGHTER. 
COMPANY  H. 


FIELD  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS. 


JESSE  HALE  MOORE,  Brevet  Brigadier-General,  Colo- 
nel 1 1 5th  Illinois  Volunteers.  General  Moore  was  born  in 
St.  Clair  County,  Illinois,  April  22,  1817.  He  came  of  a  patri- 
otic family,  his  grandfather  having  been  a  soldier  in  the  War 
for  Independence  and  seen  the  surrender  of  Lord  Cornwal- 
lis  at  Yorktown,  while  his  father  and  two  or  three  uncles  did 
good  service  in  the  War  of  1812.  His  boyhood  was  spent 
on  his  father's  farm  and  in  the  common  schools  of  the  vicin- 
ity. After  graduating  from  McKendree  College  in  1842,  he 
began  teaching,  serving  as  principal  of  the  Georgetown  and 
Paris  Seminaries  and  as  president  of  Quincy  College  until 
1856.  He  was  converted  and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  when  quite  young,  and  while  devoted  to  his  school 
work,  he  found  time  for  theological  study,  and  in  1846  en- 
tered the  ranks  of  the  ministry  as  a  member  of  the  Illi- 
nois conference  of  his  church.  He  soon  became  known  as  a 
pulpit  orator  of  marked  ability,  and  was  in  great  demand  for 
special  occasions,  resulting  in  his  transfer  to  the  regular  work 
of  the  ministry  in  which  he  acceptably  served  several  leading 
churches.  In  August,  1862,  while  serving  as  pastor  of  the 
First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Decatur,  he  yielded  to 
the  earnest  solicitations  of  many  prominent  citizens,  and  con- 
sented to  take  command  of  a  regiment  of  volunteers,  and  was 
commissioned  colonel  of  the  ii5th  Illinois  Regiment.  The 
ability  he  had  shown  in  the  management  of  young  people  in 
the  seminary  and  college  was  now  turned  to  good  account  in 
the  organization  and  training,  of  men  for  military  service. 
He  commanded  the  regiment  in  all  its  battles  and  in  nearly 
all  of  its  campaigns,  the  only  exceptions  being  when  he  was 
in  command  of  the  brigade  or  of  military  posts,  and  a  few 
short  absences  on  leave  to  visit  his  home.  His  courage  and 
ability  were  shown  and  recognized  in  every  battle,  and  his 
faithfulness  to  duty  and  his  untiring  devotion  to  the  welfare 
of  his  regiment  was  manifested  in  every  campaign.  In  the 
battle  of  Chickamauga  he  fearlessly  led  his  regiment  in  the 
repeated  assaults  on  the  famous  Snodgrass  Hill,  his  horse 


290  FIELD  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS. 

being  twice  shot  from  under  him,  and  receiving  the  highest 
commendation  of  the  generals  commanding.  He  commanded 
the  post  at  Richmond,  Ky.,  in  November  and  December, 
1862;  at  Tullahoma,  Tenn.,  in  August,  1863  ;  at  Shell  Mound, 
Tenn.,  in  the  winter  of  1863-64;  at  Resaca,  Ga.,  in  May  and 
June,  1864,  and  at  Tunnel  Hill,  Ga.,  from  July  to  October, 
1864.  Also,  he  commanded  the  old  "Iron  Brigade,"  the  sec- 
ond brigade,  first  division,  4th  army  corps,  from  the  close 
of  the  battle  of  Nashville  till  the  regiment  was  mustered  out 
in  June,  1865,  well  earning  the  brevet  rank  of  brigadier-gen- 
eral given  him  by  President  Lincoln  in  April,  1865,  "for  gal- 
lant and  meritorious  conduct  on  the  field  of  battle." 

At  the  close  of  the  war  General  Moore  resumed  his  duties 
as  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  serving  as  presiding  elder  of  the 
Decatur  district  from  1865  to  1868.  He  was  a  delegate  to 
the  General  Conference  in  1868,  in  which  he  took  a  conspicu- 
ous part,  being  made  a  member  of  the  Book  Committee, 
one  of  the  most  important  bodies  in  the  church.  In  1868 
he  was  elected  a  representative  from  the  7th  Illinois  district 
in  the  4ist  Congress,  and  was  re-elected  in  1870.  In  his  Con- 
gressional career,  General  Moore  was  a  consistent  and  pow- 
erful supporter  of  the  administration  of  General  Grant,  and 
an  ardent  advocate  of  his  reconstruction  policy.  In  his  sec- 
ond term  he  was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  pensions,  a 
distinction  seldom  conferred  on  a  second-term  member.  In 
1873  he  was  appointed  United  States  pension  agent  at  Spring- 
field, which  position  he  held  till  1877,  when  the  office  was 
consolidated  with  that  at  Chicago.  He  then  returned  to  the 
work  of  the  ministry  in  the  Illinois  conference,  until  failing 
health  compelled  him  to  take  a  rest.  He  took  an  active 
part  in  the  campaign  of  1880  in  support  of  General  Garfield 
for  the  presidency,  and  was  strongly  endorsed  for  the  posi- 
tion of  commissioner  of  pensions,  but  the  President  thought 
otherwise  and  appointed  him  United  States  consul  to  Calao, 
Peru.  He  accepted  the  position,  and  with  his  wife,  two  sons 
and  daughter-in-law  went  to  his  post  of  duty,  where  for  two 
years  he  battled  for  the  rights  of  his  countrymen,  the  war 
between  Chili  and  Peru  being  in  progress  during  the  whole 


FIELD  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS.  291 

period.  His  courage  was  again  put  to  the  test  when  that 
terrible  scourge,  the  yellow  fever,  became  epidemic  in  Calao. 
Instead  of  fleeing  to  the  mountains,  he  remained  at  his  post 
ministering  to  the  needs  of  his  countrymen,  until  stricken 
with  the  disease  on  July  6,  1883,  and  on  July  nth  following 
he  passed  peacefully  away  surrounded  by  such  of  his  family 
as  had  gone  with  him  to  South  America.  He  was  temporarily 
buried  in  Bella  Vista  Cemetery,  near  Calao,  but  in  1885  was 
transferred  by  the  United  States  Government  to  his  former 
home  at  Decatur,  111.,  where  all  that  is  mortal  of  the  old  colo- 
nel of  the  1 1 5th  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  lies  quietly  await- 
ing the  final  reveille. 


WILLIAM  KINMAN,  Lieutenant-Colonel.  Colonel  Kin- 
man  was  born  at  Fort  Knox,  near  the  present  city  of  Vin- 
cennes,  Ind.,  May  6,  1812.  His  parents,  Levi  and  Susannah 
Kinman,  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  western  Indiana,  had 
made  their  home  in  the  forest  near  the  Wabash  River,  till 
driven  into  the  fort  by  bands  of  hostile  Indians  who  had  gone 
on  the  war  path  in  the  hope  of  reward  from  the  British. 
Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  Levi  Kinman  and  family  re- 
moved to  western  Illinois  and  made  a  new  settlement  in  what 
is  now  Pike  County.  In  that  far  wilderness,  forty  miles  from 
the  nearest  "grist  mill,"  surrounded  by  Indians,  often  hos- 
tile, and  subjected  to  the  hardest  usage  of  frontier  life,  Wil- 
liam Kinman  spent  his  boyhood,  his  only  opportunity  for 
education  being  in  the  school  of  adversity.  When  twenty 
years  old  he  received  from  Governor  Reynolds  of  Illinois  a 
commission  as  second  lieutenant  of  the  Illinois  troops,  for  serv- 
ice in  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  it  is  said  served  in  the  same 
command  with  Abraham  Lincoln.  After  the  great  chief  was 
captured,  he  returned  home  and  attended  school  at  Illinois 
College,  Jacksonville,  making  part  of  his  expenses  by  work 
for  the  college.  He  then  returned  to  Pike  County,  and  soon 
after  that  married  Miss  Ann  Shin,  the  daughter  of  a  pioneer 
Methodist  preacher,  and  settled  on  a  small  farm  near  Grigs- 
ville,  111. 


292  FIELD  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS. 

In  the  Mormon  War  he  again  entered  the  service,  being  a 
first  lieutenant  in  the  second  battalion  Illinois  Volunteers.  In 
June,  1847,  ne  was  commissioned  a  captain  in  Company  K, 
5th  Illinois  Volunteers,  for  service  in  the  Mexican  War,  and 
marched  with  Col.  Sterling  Price  from  Independence,  Mo., 
over  the  plains  to  Mexico,  participating  in  several  engage- 
ments. At  the  close  of  the  war  he  again  returned  to  civil  life 
and  settled  on  a  fine  farm  near  Jacksonville,  where  he  filled 
many  important  positions,  being  for  several  years  president 
of  the  County  Agricultural  Society.  In  1861  he  served  as  a 
commissioner,  under  appointment  of  Governor  Yates,  for  the 
distribution  of  arms  to  Illinois  troops.  In  1862  he  took  an 
active  part  in  the  work  of  recruiting  men  for  the  service,  espe- 
cially in  raising  a  Morgan  County  regiment,  the  loist.  Com- 
pany I  of  the  1 1 5th  was  largely  the  result  of  his  labor,  though 
he  declined  to  take  an  office  in  it,  expecting  a  commission  as 
a  field  officer,  which  was  received  on  his  election  to  the  posi- 
tion of  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  H5th  regiment.  Colonel 
Kinman  was  for  a  time  its  drill  master  and  military  trainer. 
Having  had  experience  in  three  wars,  he  was  familiar  with 
the  duties  of  an  officer  and  with  what  should  be  expected  of 
a  soldier;  hence  Colonel  Moore  was  glad  to  avail  himself 
of  his  services  in  all  such  matters.  He  particpated  in  all  the 
service  of  the  regiment  till  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  except 
during  a  few  weeks'  absence  because  of  sickness.  He  com- 
manded the  regiment  some  time  while  at  Nashville  in  the 
winter  of  1862-63,  and  afterwards  at  Wartrace.  To  him  much 
of  the  credit  is  due  for  the  drill,  discipline  and  efficiency  of 
the  regiment,  which  gave  it  such  a  glorious  record  at  Chick- 
amauga, Resaca,  Nashville  and  other  battles.  Noted  for  his 
kindness  of  heart  and  affable  disposition  that  made  him  al- 
ways easily  approached  by  the  humblest  soldier,  he  was  strict 
in  discipline  and  firm  in  the  discharge  of  every  duty. 

Colonel  Kinman  knew  no  fear  and  never  hesitated  to  go 
wherever  duty  called.  In  the  assault  on  Snodgrass  Hill  he 
rode  forward  with  the  regiment,  cheering  the  men  on  in  the 
charge.  As  he  was  thus  riding  from  right  to  left  of  the  regi- 
ment, when  bullets  were  flying  thick  and  fast,  he  fell  mor- 


FIELD  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS.  293 

tally  wounded  and  a  moment  later  was  instantly  killed  by  a 
second  bullet.  Capt.  James  A.  Rutherford  says  of  his  death : 
"It  was  in  our  second  charge;  I  was  keeping  my  men  in  line 
and  seeing  that  all  did  their  duty,  and  while  thus  busy  I  heard 
a  rattling  noise  near  me  and  looked  to  see  its  cause ;  I 
saw  that  Colonel  Kinman  had  just  fallen  from  his  horse.  I 
went  to  his  assistance  and  asked  if  he  was  badly  hurt,  to 
which  he  replied,  'Yes,  mortally  wounded  in  left  breast,'  and 
then  said,  'Raise  me  up' ;  as  I  attempted  to  do  so,  before 
he  had  time  to  speak  another  work,  a  second  shot  struck  him 
in  the  forehead  and  he  straightened  out  dead."  His  son,  Capt. 
C.  L.  Kinman,  speaking  of  his  death  says,  "He  had  just  rid- 
den along  the  line  encouraging  the  men  to  stand  firm.  The 
last  I  saw  of  him  alive,  he  passed  into  a  cloud  of  smoke  to 
the  left  of  Company  I.  He  had  been  dead  an  hour  before  I 
knew  it.  When  I  found  his  body  it  was  near  General  Thomas' 
headquarters,  to  which  place  it  had  been  carried  by  Perry 
L.  Van  Cleve  of  Company  I,  and  Perry  P.  Tolle,  Humphrey 
Muck  and  Charles  Barker  of  Company  D.  I  wrote  his  name 
and  regiment  on  a  piece  of  paper  and  pinned  it  on  him.  Be- 
ing unable  to  do  more  for  him,  I  returned  to1  the  regiment." 
And  thus  the  body  of  our  brave  lieutenant-colonel  was  left  on 
Snodgrass  Hill.  He  was  never  afterward  identified,  and  with- 
out doubt  lies  among  the  unknown  that  were  removed  to*  the 
National  Cemetery  at  Chattanooga. 


GEORGE  A.  POTEET,  Brevet  Colonel  U.  S.  Volunteers, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  H5th  Volunteer  Infantry.  George  Allran 
Poteet  was  born  October  12,  1837,  at  Rockville,  Parke 
County,  Indiana.  His  father,  Dr.  Allran  Poteet,  was  born  in 
Mountain  Home,  Rutherford  County,  North  Carolina ;  his 
mother,  Aceneth  Sill  Poteet,  was  born  in  Shelby  County,  Ky., 
where  they  were  united  in  marriage.  Shortly  after  this  Dr. 
Poteet  removed  to  Indiana  and  located  at  Rockville.  In  1842 
the  family  removed  to  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  locating 
at  Rensselaer,  Jasper  County ;  in  1844  they  again  removed 
to  Monticello,  White  County,  and  in  1864  returned  to  Rock- 
ville, where  Mrs.  Poteet  died  in  1847.  Dr.  Poteet  died  in 


294  FIELD  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS. 

1852  at  Montezuma,  Ind.  George's  education  was  received  in 
district  and  public  schools.  He  was  tendered  an  appointment 
to  West  Point  as  cadet  by  Congressman  John  G.  Davis,  of 
Indiana,  but  because  of  the  serious  illness  of  his  sister,  was 
unable  to  accept. 

Colonel  Poteet  was  a  resident  of  Shelbyville,  111.,  at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  under 
Capt.  Cyrus  Hall  on  May  i,  1861,  but  was  mustered  in  as  sixth 
sergeant  May  n,  1861,  in  Company  B,  I4th  Illinois  Volun- 
teers, in  the  State  service  for  thirty  days,  unless  sooner  re- 
quired for  the  United  States  service.  On  the  25th  of  the 
same  month  he  was  mustered  into  the  United  States  service 
for  three  years;  September  21,  1861,  he  was  promoted  to 
first  lieutenant  of  Company  B,  and  assigned  to  duty  on  the 
staff  of  General  Palmer  as  acting  commissary  of  subsistence, 
in  which  capacity  he  served  in  the  campaign  in  southwest 
Missouri.  In  February,  1862,  he  returned  to  his  company, 
arriving  at  Fort  Donelson  one  day  after  the  surrender.  He 
was  with  his  company  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  and  was  severely 
wounded  the  first  day  of  the  battle,  April  6th.  When  able 
to  travel,  he  returned  home  on  leave  of  absence,  but  before 
he  was  able  for  field  duty,  he  heard  his  country's  call  for 
more  men,  and  took  the  lead  in  recruiting  a  company  sub- 
sequently known  as  Company  B,  H5th  Illinois  Volunteers, 
of  which  he  was  elected  captain.  On  going  to  Camp  Butler 
he  took  an  active  part  in  the  organization  of  the  regiment, 
and  was  mustered  in  as  major.  He  was  conspicuous  for  gal- 
lant conduct  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  and  at  its  close 
was  promoted  to  lieutenant-colonel.  He  served  with  his  regi- 
ment in  all  its  campaigns,  being  in  command  of  the  regiment 
most  of  the  time  after  the  close  of  the  Atlanta  compaign, 
until  it  was  mustered  out  in  June,  1865.  About  that  time  the 
President  conferred  on  him  the  brevet  rank  of  colonel  of 
United  States  volunteers,  for  bravery  and  meritorious  con- 
duct in  the  battles  of  Shijoh,  Chickamauga,  Resaca  and  Nash- 
ville. 

He  was  married  December  24,  1861,  to  Miss  M.  B.  Smith 
of  Paris,  Monroe  County,  Mo.  After  being  mustered  out  of 


I.  H.  C.  ROYSE,  1862. 

FRED.  S.  GILHOUSEN.  JAMES  M.  MARTIN. 

CHARLES  M.  BREEDEN. 

ALL  OF  COMPANY  E. 


FIELD  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS.  295 

the  service  June  n,  1865,  he  returned  to  Shelbyville,  111.,  en- 
gaging in  business  there.  He  removed  to  Mexico,  Mo.,  June, 
1868.  Later  he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Mexico,  and 
served  four  years.  In  1884  he  removed  to  Kansas  City,  Mo., 
and  has  since  been  engaged  in  clerical  work  in  a  railroad  of- 
fice, and  as  freight  inspector,  for  the  Western  Railway  Weigh- 
ing Association  and  Inspection  Bureau,  waiting  for  the  final 
muster  out.  His  address  is  No.  1234  Indiana  Avenue,  Kansas 
City,  Mo. 


JOHN  W.  LAPHAM,  Major.  Major  Lapham  was  born  in 
Decatur,  111.,  December  18,  1832,  and  died  in  California  in 
the  summer  of  1887.  He  was  educated  at  McKendree  Col- 
lege, after  which  he  studied  medicine  and  practiced  his  pro- 
fession at  Taylorville,  111.,  until  he  entered  the  service.  He 
served  as  captain  of  Company  A  until  after  the  battle  of  Chick- 
amauga,  when  he  was  promoted  to  be  major.  After  the  war 
he  studied  theology  and  became  a  member  of  the  Illinois  con- 
ference, in  which  he  did  faithful  service  until  1884,  when  fail- 
ing health  compelled  his  retirement. 


JOHN  H.  WOODS,  Adjutant.  Lieutenant  Woods  was 
born  in  Alton,  111.,  in  1839;  he  was  graduated  from  Shurtleff 
College  in  1860,  studied  at  Yale  College,  and  taught  in  Grey- 
lock  Institute  in  Massachusetts,  and  in  the  Collegiate  Institute, 
New  Haven,  Conn.  He  was  appointed  adjutant  of  the  regi- 
ment on  its  organization,  and  was  an  efficient  officer  until  his 
resignation,  April  10,  1863.  Most  of  the  time  since  then  he 
has  been  professor  of  Latin  in  the  Illinois  Deaf  and  Dumb 
Institution  at  Jacksonville,  111.,  but  is  now  in  charge  of  the  pub- 
lic library  in  that  city.  Professor  Woods  has  all  his  life  been 
a  devoted  student,  and  in  his  writings  has  given  to  the  world 
many  proofs  of  his  broad  and  accurate  scholarship.  He  has 
been  active  in  literary  circles  in  Jacksonville,  and  is  recog- 
nized as  one  of  its  leading  citizens.  It  is  a  matter  of  regret 
to  Prof.  Woods'  comrades  that  he  has  put  such  a  modest  esti- 
mate on  his  military  services  as  to  cause  him  to  hold  aloof,  ap- 


296  FIELD  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS. 

parently,  from  all  association  with  the  organization  most  dear 
to  them. 


ALLEN  LITSENBERGER,  Adjutant.  Lieutenant  Lit- 
senberger  was  the  second  to  occupy  the  office  of  adjutant. 
He  was  born  in  Hancock  County,  Ohio,  July  6,  1840, 
and  came  with  his  parents  to  Illinois  in  1846,  locating  in  Clin- 
ton. In  1859  he  went  to  Decatur,  which  has  since  been  his 
home.  He  enlisted  in  Captain  Hays'  company  in  1862,  but 
was  one  of  those  loaned  to  fill  up  Company  H,  and  was  mus- 
tered in  with  that  company.  He  was  soon  after  promoted  to 
commissary  sergeant,  in  which  capacity  he  served  most  effi- 
ciently until  April,  1863.  On  the  resignation  of  Adjutant 
Woods,  he  was  promoted  to  that  position,  which  he  filled  in 
an  able  manner  until  after  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  On 
account  of  failing  health  he  then  resigned  and  returned  to 
Decatur.  Since  the  war  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  book 
business  in  Decatur. 


WOODFORD  W.  PEDDECORD,  Adjutant.  Lieutenant 
Peddecord,  a  son  of  the  well  known  banker,  Jasper  J.  Pedde- 
cord,  of  Decatur,  111.,  was  born  and  reared  in  that  city.  He 
was  appointed  sergeant  major  at  the  organization  of  the  regi- 
ment, and  was  promoted  adjutant  to  date  from  November  30, 
1863,  in  which  position  he  served  till  the  close  of  the  war.  Af- 
ter that  he  engaged  in  business  in  Decatur,  where  he  died 
June  18,  1897. 


BENJAMIN  F.  FARLEY,  Regimental  Quartermaster. 
Lieutenant  Farley  served  as  quartermaster  till  April  i,  1863, 
when  he  resigned  and  returned  home ;  he  is  believed  to  be 
dead. 


CHARLES  W.  JEROME,  Regimental  Quartermaster. 
Lieutenant  Jerome  was  born  in  Onondaga  County,  New 
York,  September  8,  1828.  When  six  years  of  age,  his  par- 
ents moved  to  Illinois.  Charles  passed  his  early  youth  on 
the  farm,  attending  the  common  school — never  over  three 


FIELD  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS.  297 

months  in  the  year.  At  18  he  entered  McKendree  College, 
working  his  way  through,  and  was  graduated  in  1852.  He 
then  engaged  in  teaching,  as  assistant  in  the  Danville  Semi- 
nary, Danville,  111. ;  afterwards  as  principal  of  the  Shelby  Male 
and  Female  Seminary,  Shelbyville,  111.  He  was  married  in 
1858  to  Miss  Eugenia  A.  Jerome,  of  Bath,  N.  H.  They  have 
two  children,  Charles  M.  and  Carolina  O.  In  1862  he  relin- 
quished the  principalship  of  the  institution,  and  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Company  B,  H5th  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  At 
Camp  Butler  he  was  appointed  quartermaster  sergeant,  and  at 
Franklin,  Tenn.,  April  i,  1863,  he  was  promoted  to  first  lieu- 
tenant and  regimental  quartermaster,  which  position  he  filled 
till  the  close  of  the  war. 

Lieutenant  Jerome  was  conscientious,  faithful  and  diligent 
in  performing  the  duties  of  his  position.  His  chief  object 
was  to  supply  his  fellow  soldiers  with  every  comfort  within  • 
reach.  In  the  fall  of  1863,  in  company  with  a  large  supply 
train  crossing  Walden's  Ridge  en  route  to  Chattanooga,  with 
supplies  for  the  nearly  famished  Union  soldiers,  he  was 
captured  by  the  rebel  General  Wheeler.  The  prisoners  were 
put  on  a  forced  march  to  Jasper,  thence  to  McMinnville,  and 
thence  a  few  miles  across  Collins  River,  where  they  were  has- 
tily paroled  and  ordered  North.  Lieutenant  Jerome,  with  a 
squad  belonging  to  his  brigade,  soon  found  his  way  back  to 
Nashville,  thence  to  Chattanooga,  and  his  command,  having 
been  absent  just  three  weeks.  His  parole  not  being  given  in 
accordance  with  the  "cartel,"  was  not  considered  valid,  and  he 
resumed  his  duties  again.  He  remained  with  his  regiment  un- 
til the  close  of  the  war,  sharing  its  hardships  and  its  successes. 

He  then  resumed  the  profession  of  teaching,  and  for  six- 
teen years,  occupied  the  chair  of  Latin  and  Greek  in  the  South- 
ern Illinois  Normal  University  at  Carbondale.  His  health  fail- 
ing, he  removed  to  Sioux  City,  la.  The  climate  proving  too 
severe,  he  removed  to  Florida  and  engaged  in  the  orange  cul- 
ture. In  this  latitude  his  health  was  very  materially  restored, 
and  in  September,  1895,  he  accepted  the  position  of  principal 
of  the  Dixon  Academy  at  Shelbyville,  Tenn.  His  health  again 
failing,  he  was  compelled  to  give  up  all  work,  and  is  now 


298  FIELD  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS. 

living  quietly  with  his  son  at  No.   13  Baltimore  Place,  At- 
lanta, Ga. 


ENOCH  W.  MOORE,  Surgeon.  Dr.  Moore  was  born 
near  Waterloo  in  Monroe  County,  111.,  December  7,  1821. 
He  was  the  seventh  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  of  one  of  the 
earliest  American  families  to  settle  in  Illinois,  his  father, 
James  Moore,  having  been  the  first  white  male  child  born  of 
American  parents  within  the  limits  of  the  State.  Dr.  Moore's 
mother  was  the  daughter  of  Col.  William  Whiteside,  also  a 
pioneer  of  that  county.  After  receiving  a  good  academic  edu- 
cation, he  attended  the  medical  department  of  St.  Louis  Uni- 
versity, where  he  was  graduated  in  1853.  He  then  practiced 
his  profession  at  Carlisle,  111.,  until  he  removed  to  Decatur 
in  1856.  On  the  organization  of  the  H5th  regiment  he  of- 
fered his  services  to  his  country,  and  was  made  surgeon  of 
the  regiment,  with  the  rank  of  major.  He  was  an  eminent 
physician,  and  was  greatly  beloved  by  all  the  regiment.  He 
served  with  the  regiment  until  compelled  to  resign  because  of 
ill  health,  April  17,  1863.  He  then  returned  to  Decatur  and 
after  recovering  his  health,  resumed  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, which  he  continued  until  his  death,  May  19,  1899.  Dr. 
Moore  was  married  in  1854  to  Miss  Anna  B.  Lockwood,  of 
Philadelphia,  Pa.  Dr.  Moore  died  at  the  home  of  his  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  S.  D.  Allen,  Cleburne,  Texas,  where  he  was  visiting. 


GARNER  H.  BANE,  Surgeon.  Dr.  Bane  was  from  Pay- 
son,  111.;  he  was  commissioned  June  17,  1863,  and  served  till 
the  final  muster  out.  He  had  been  assistant  surgeon  of  the 
5Oth  Illinois  Infantry  and  was  a  most  skillful  surgeon.  He  is 
reported  to  be  dead. 


NELSON  G.  BLALOCK,  First  Assistant  Surgeon.  Dr. 
Blalock  was  born  in  North  Carolina,  February  17,  1836;  he 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  State,  and 
spent  one  year  in  college  in  Tennessee.  After  leaving  the 
Tennessee  College,  he  was  married  August  i,  1858,  to  Miss 
Pantha  Durham,  an  accomplished  and  estimable  lady,  who 


FIELD  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS.  299 

proved  a  true  helpmate  to  him.  From  college  he  went  to 
Mt.  Zion,  Macon  County,  111.,  where  he  practiced  his  profes- 
sion until  the  spring  of  1862,  when  he  entered  the  H5th  Illi- 
nois as  assistant  surgeon ;  he  remained  until  August,  1863, 
when  ill  health  forced  him  to  abandon  the  service.  May  18, 
1864,  his  wife  died,  leaving  two  children,  one  of  whom,  Yancy 
C.,  still  lives.  Dr.  Blalock  was  married  the  second  time  De- 
cember 10,  1865,  to  Miss  Marie  E.  Greenfield,  at  Mt.  Zion,  111. 
Through  his  untiring  industry  over  five  thousand  acres  of 
what  was  one  time  a  barren  alkali  desert  has  blossomed  forth 
into  waving  fields  and  fruit  orchards.  In  1881  he  harvested 
ninety  thousand  bushels  of  wheat  and  barley.  His  fine  fruit 
farm  near  Walla  Walla,  Washington,  is  a  living  monument  to 
his  sagacity  and  enterprise.  This  farm  contains  five  hundred 
acres,  of  which  four  hundred  acres  are  set  out  in  fruit ;  sixty 
acres  of  this  bore  fruit  in  1892,  from  which  he  realized  the 
neat  sum  of  $10,000.  In  company  with  two  other  gentlemen, 
the  doctor  is  now  engaged  in  opening  to  cultivation  a  tract 
of  land  containing  4,500  acres  situated  near  Castle  Rock,  on 
the  Columbia  River,  on  the  Washington  side,  and  known  as 
Long  Island,  all  of  which  will  be  planted  in  orchard,  alfalfa, 
etc.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Convention  in 
1889,  and  assisted  in  framing  the  present  constitution  of  the 
State.  Dr.  Blalock  was  unanimously  elected  President  of 
the  World's  Fair  Commission  for  the  State  of  Washington, 
and  executive  commissioner ;  after  this  appointment  he  devoted 
all  his  energy,  time  and  means  to  the  end  that  Washington 
might  be  properly  represented  at  the  World's  Fair.  He  is 
now  president  of  the  Blalock  Fruit  Company  and  president 
of  the  Northwest  Fruit  Growers'  Association,  having  been 
elected  seven  years  consecutively.  He  is  also  president  of  the 
Walla  Walla  Canning  Company,  and  resides  at  Walla  Walla, 
Wash. 


CLARK  E.  LOOMIS,  First  Assistant  Surgeon.  Dr. 
Loomis  was  from  Chicago;  he  was  commissioned  August  17, 
1864,  and  served  till  the  close  of  the  war.  He  is  now  prac- 
ticing his  profession  at  Eugene,  Oregon. 


300  FIELD  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS. 

CHARLES  W.  HIGGINS,  Centralia,  111.;    commissioned 
as  surgeon  June  8,  1863,  but  declined  to  be  mustered. 


JAMES  A.  JONES,  First  Assistant  Surgeon.  Dr.  Jones 
was  from  Delavan,  111. ;  he  was  commissioned  second  assistant 
surgeon,  October  3,  1862,  and  was  promoted  on  the  resigna- 
tion of  Dr.  Blalock  in  July,  1863.  He  was  murdered  by  rebel 
guerrillas  near  Tunnel  Hill,  Ga.,  July  9,  1864. 


ARTHUR  BRADSHAW,  Chaplain.  Mr.  Bradshaw  was  a 
veteran  preacher  of  the  Illinois  conference,  having  been  pre- 
siding elder  and  pastor  of  the  leading  churches.  He  was  the 
first  chaplain  of  the  ustli,  but  his  health  failing  him,  was 
compelled  to  resign  December  30,  1862.  He  died  soon  after 
the  war. 


RICHARD  HOLDING,  Chaplain.  Mr.  Holding  was  born 
in  Kentucky  in  1808.  In  1831  he  entered  the  ministry  and 
for  many  years  was  a  faithful  preacher  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  in  Kentucky  and  Illinois,  being  thirty-seven  years 
in  the  active  ministry.  He  patriotically  offered  his  services 
as  chaplain  of  the  H5th,  being  commissioned  January  i,  1863, 
but  after  several  months'  faithful  service,  finding  his  health 
insufficient,  he  returned  his  commission  in  July  without  being 
mustered  and  without  receiving  any  pay  for  his  services.  He 
died  very  suddenly  at  Vermillion,  111.,  July  i,  1868. 


WILLIAM  S.  CRISSEY,  Chaplain.  Mr.  Crissey  was  from 
Decatur;  he  was  commissioned  July  20,  1863,  and  served  till 
the  muster  out.  He  died  at  Decatur,  April  2,  1882. 


JAMES  COFFIN,  Sergeant-Major.  Was  musician  of 
Company  I  till  November  30,  1863 ;  he  now  resides  at  Wil- 
sey,  Kans. 


WILLIAM  N.  HARRIS,  Quartermaster-Sergeant.  Pro- 
moted from  private  in  Company  K,  April  i,  1863.  Last  known 
residence,  Glen  Elder,  Kas. 


FIELD  AND  STAFF  OFFICERS.  301 

DAVID  P.  TRAVIS,  Commissary  Sergeant.  Promoted 
from  corporal  of  Company  B  April  n,  1865,  and  was  mus- 
tered out  with  the  regiment.  He  is  now  a  traveling  salesman 
and  resides  at  Pana,  111. 


ADDISON  C.  DOUGLASS,  Hospital  Steward.  Dis- 
charged May  i,  1863,  to  be  contract  surgeon.  He  died  at 
Minneapolis,  Minn.,  in  1898. 


LUTHER  M.  HOBART,  Hospital  Steward.  Sergeant  of 
Company  D;  succeeded  Dr.  Douglass  May  I,  1863,  and  was 
mustered  out  June  n,  1865.  He  died  in  Allen  County, 
Kansas,  about  1890. 


WILLIAM  H.  KOLP,  Principal  Musician.    Mustered  out 
June  u,  1865;  now  resides  at  Elwin,  111. 


JAMES  T.  ROBERTS,  Principal  Musician.  Appointed 
from  Company  K  and  served  till  the  muster  out.  Now  resides 
at  Greenview,  111. 


COMPANY  A. 


COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

JESSE  HANON,  Captain  Company  A.  Captain  Hanon 
was  born  in  Christian  County,  Illinois,  April  14,  1830.  His 
father,  with  a  widowed  mother,  had  settled  in  the  neighbor- 
hood when  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  being  the  first  white 
inhabitants  of  the  county.  The  log  school  house  was  the 
captain's  college.  He  was  a  farmer  at  the  time  of  his  en- 
listment. He  took  an  active  part  in  recruiting  Company  A 
and  was  elected  second  lieutenant.  He  was  promoted  to  first 
lieutenant  on  the  resignation  of  Lieutenant  Bankson  and  was 
advanced  to  the  captaincy  on  the  promotion  of  Captain  Lap- 
ham,  after  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  In  April,  1863,  Lieu- 
tenant Hanon  acted  as  adjutant  of  the  regiment  until  Lieuten- 
ant Litsenberger  was  mustered,  and  was  then  assigned  to 
duty  on  the  brigade  staff  as  provost  marshal,  in  which  posi- 
tion he  did  excellent  service  till  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 
At  the  time  of  the  advance  on  Snodgrass  Hill,  Lieutenant 
Hanon  was  in  charge  of  the  ambulance  and  ammunition 
trains,  which  he  was  ordered  to  place  at  proper  distance  in 
the  rear.  Having  performed  this  duty  he  hurried  to  the  front 
to  find  our  division  hotly  engaged  in  battle.  He  at  once  en- 
tered on  duty  as  volunteer  aide-de-camp  on  General  Whit- 
aker's  staff,  in  which  he  performed  gallant  service  carrying 
orders  to  the  various  regiments  along  the  line  of  battle.  While 
thus  engaged  he  was  captured  and  remained  in  the  hands  of 
the  enemy,  enduring  all  the  hardships  of  the  Confederate 
prison  pens  until  March  I,  1865,  when  he  was  exchanged  at 
Wilmington,  North  Carolina.  Since  then  the  captain  has  been 
a  farmer  most  of  the  time.  He  served  his  county  one  term 
as  superintendent  of  schools,  and  has  served  his  town  several 
times  as  supervisor.  He  was  a  democrat  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  but  since  then  has  been  a  republican,  though  never  dis- 


SERGT.  J.  H.  McCOY.  DAVID  JARVIS. 

THOMAS  J.  LANGLEY.  R.  J.  McAFEE. 

ALL  OF  COMPANY  A. 


COMPANY  A.  303 

posed  to  politics  as  a  profession.  The  captain  was  married  to 
Miss  Missouri  A.  Minnis,  of  which  union  three  children  sur- 
vive, William  F.,  John  E.,  and  Cyrus  E.  Hanon,  a  daughter, 
Mrs.  Alice  E.  Murphy,  of  Palmer,  111.,  having  recently  died. 
The  captain's  wife  died  at  their  home  in  Morrisonville,  111., 
March  12,  1897,  after  a  life  of  great  devotion  as  wife,  mother, 
neighbor  and  friend.  Since  then  Captain  Hanon  has  resided 
with  his  sons  at  Flora,  111.,  where  he  is  extensively  engaged  in 
fruit  growing. 

ARTHUR  C.  BANKSON,  First  Lieutenant.  From  Tay- 
lorville  ;  resigned  December  30,  1862  ;  believed  to  be  dead. 

JOSEPH  GORE,  First  Lieutenant.  From  Taylorville  ; 
promoted  from  second  lieutenant  September  20,  1863 ;  was 
first  sergeant  until  December  30,  1862.  He  was  captured  with 
the  ferry-boat  party  September  24,  1863,  and  remained  in  rebel 
prisons  till  the  spring  of  1865.  He  now  resides  in  Taylorville, 
111. 

SERGEANTS. 

WILLIAM  F.  GORE,  First  Sergeant;  was  sergeant  till 
December  30,  1862  ;  resides  at  Taylorville,  111. 

WILLIAM  J.  JONES,  Taylorville ;  discharged  July,  1863. 

ABNER  RUSH,  Springfield;  discharged  March  9,  1863; 
resides  at  Lincoln,  Neb. 

SANFORD  G.  HAMMER  was  one  of  the  most  efficient  and 
honorable  soldiers  of  his  regiment.  He  enlisted  at  Taylor- 
ville in  1862,  and  was  faithful  to  every  duty  until  discharged 
for  disability  April  30,  1862.  Since  the  war  he  followed 
the  occupation  of  a  locomotive  engineer,  and  was  instantly 
killed  while  at  his  post  of  duty  as  engineer  on  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  R.  R.  near  Eubanks,  111.,  July  15,  1896, 
in  a  head-end  collision.  Sergeant  Hammer's  remains  were 
brought  to  Decatur,  where  they  were  received  by  the  com- 
mander of  the  post,  Maj.  F.  L.  Hays,  and  other  comrades  of 
the  regiment,  who  gladly  turned  out  in  his  honor.  From 
there  his  body  was  removed  to  Taylorville,  and  interred  with 
due  honors  two  days  later.  Comrade  Hammer  frequently  at- 
tended the  meetings  of  the  survivors  of  the  H5th,  greatly  to 
the  pleasure  of  his  comrades. 


304  COMPANY  A. 

HORATIO  N.  KEEP,  Rosemond  ;  died  October  4,  1863, 
of  wounds  received  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 

GEORGE  LARGE  was  born  November  25,  1841,  in  Noble 
County,  Ohio,  and  in  1856  came  with  his  parents  to  Christian 
County,  111.,  and  settled  in  what  is  known  as  Buckeye  Prairie. 
He  served  until  the  regiment  was  mustered  out,  being  in  every 
skirmish  and  battle  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  and  third 
sergeant  of  his  company  at  the  muster  out.  He  was  married 
in  1868  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Cleary,  from  which  union  he  has 
five  children ;  his  wife  died  in  1896.  He  has  been  a  farmer 
since  the  war,  making  a  specialty  of  sheep  raising.  He  now 
lives  in  Taylorville,  111. 

JAMES  H.  McCOY  was  born  in  New  Philadelphia,  Ohio, 
April  13,  1837,  being  a  son  of  Dr.  V.  C.  McCoy  and  a  grand- 
son of  Rev.  James  McCoy  of  Jefferson  County,  Ohio.  His 
mother's  father,  Hon.  Horatio  Hunt,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war 
of  1812  and  a  prominent  politician.  Sergeant  McCoy  re- 
ceived a  public  school  education  and  spent  some  time  at  Ober- 
hn  College.  Having  removed  to  Illinois,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany A  at  its  formation,  and  was  appointed  corporal,  and  in 
April,  1863,  was  made  sergeant.  He  was  present  in  every 
march  and  battle,  and  was  never  in  hospital  or  absent  from 
the  regiment  except  on  duty.  His  wife  and  two  children  re- 
mained at  home  and  did  not  see  him  during  that  time.  After 
the  war  he  farmed  a  while,  but  his  health  failing  he  engaged 
in  mercantile  business  for  a  time.  In  1882  he  lost  his  sight 
and  since  then  has  been  totally  blind,  residing  in  Pana,  111., 
where  he  is  always  glad  to  receive  a  call  from  his  comrades. 

ALFRED  B.  LEEPER  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  1837. 
With  only  a  common  school  education  he  became  a  successful 
teacher.  He  came  to  Illinois  a  few  years  before  the  war  and 
settled  on  Buckeye  Prairie,  near  Taylorville.  He  enlisted  as 
private,  but  was  soon  promoted  to  sergeant.  He  was  with  his 
company  in  all  its  campaigns,  and  was  a  splendid  soldier.  He 
claims  to  have  fired  the  last  shot  from  the  regiment  in  the 
battle  of  Chickamauga.  Since  the  war  he  has  resided  on  his 
farm,  a  very  fine  one,  near  Owaneco,  111.,  and  has  ever  since 
been  a  farmer,  and  the  same  time  doing  much  work  as  a 


COMPANY  A.  305 

drainage  engineer.  He  is  a  mason  and  prominent  in  the 
work  of  the  order.  He  has  always  been  prominent  in  work 
for  the  promotion  of  patriotism  ;  is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R., 
and  has  been  commander  of  his  post.  He  is  also  one  of  the 
founders  and  a  prominent  officer  in  a  new  order  called  the 
Comrades  of  the  Battle-Field.  His  address  is  Owaneco,  111. 

ROBERT  M.  SHAW,  Taylorville;  promoted  from  private; 
reported  drowned  since  muster  out. 

EDWARD  W.  PAYNE,  Rosemond ;  promoted  from  cor- 
poral;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve  corps  May  i,  1864;  re- 
sides at  Rockford,  Mich. 

CORPORALS. 

WILLIAM  YOUNG,  Stonington;  discharged  March  18, 
1863 ;  resides  at  Fort  Scott,  Kan. 

FERDINAND  F.  YOUNG,  Taylorville  ;  died  at  Richmond, 
Ky.,  December  25,  1862. 

EDWIN  YOUNG,  Taylorville ;  resides  at  Centralia,  Mo. 

JAMES  M.  SPATES,  Taylorville ;  resided  at  Pawnee,  Neb., 
but  lately  removed. 

LEANDER  BRADLEY,  Taylorville,  where  he  now  resides. 

CHARLES  W.  HILL  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  in 
1842,  and  removed  to  Rosemond,  111.,  in  1859.  In  1861  he 
enlisted  in  a  three  months'  regiment,  but  was  rejected  because 
the  quota  of  the  State  had  been  filled.  He  was  again  rejected 
in  1862  because  too  small,  but  again  enlisted  at  Camp  Butler 
in  1862,  and  was  with  the  regiment  in  all  its  marches,  skir- 
mishes, and  battles  until  the  regiment  stopped  at  Resaca,  Ga. 
He  then  served  with  the  pioneer  corps  until  Sherman's  army 
reached  Big  Shanty,  after  which  he  returned  to  the  regiment 
and  remained  with  it  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  removed 
to  Jersey  City  in  1879,  and  is  at  present  in  the  service  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad,  in  the  freight  department.  Comrade 
Hill  seems  to  have  been  a  Saturday  man ;  he  was  born  on 
Saturday,  decided  to  go  to  war  on  Saturday,  started  to  go  to 
the  field  on  Saturday,  made  his  first  march  in  Kentucky  on 
Saturday,  fought  his  first  battle  on  Saturday,  and  arrived  at 
home  on  Saturdav  when  the  war  was  over. 


306  COMPANY  A. 

DAVID  DENTON.  Taylorville ;  resides  at  Millersville,  111. 

DAVID  JARVIS  was  born  at  Antioch,  O.,  January  4,  1838. 
In  1859  ne  removed  to  Pana,  111.  During  the  first  month's  ser- 
vice he  was  detailed  for  the  hospital  department,  in  which  he 
served  seven  months.  In  March,  1863,  he  returned  to  his 
company  and  remained  with  it  until  mustered  out  at  Camp 
Marker,  Tenn.  He  is  now  living  at  Spencer,  Ind.,  and  by 
occupation  is  a  farmer. 

DANIEL  L.  KITCHAM,  Taylorville ;  reported  dead. 

DAVID  THROCKMORTON,  Taylorville;  last  at  Colum- 
bus, Kan. 

MUSICIANS. 

CHRISTIAN  D.  COWGILL,  Taylorville;  discharged 
April  30,  1863  ;  resides  at  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  where  he  has  been 
actively  engaged  in  the  tinware  business  for  many  years. 

JOSEPH  LARGE,  Taylorville;  was  prisoner  of  war:  re- 
sides at  Winlock,  Wash. 

WAGONERS. 

FRANCIS  M.  SHERRELL,  Taylorville ;  died  at  Coving- 
ton,  Ky.,  October  22,  1862. 

JOSHUA  BOWMAN,  Taylorville  ;  died  at  Beardstown,  III. 
in  1897. 

PRIVATES. 

ALAMON,  ROBERT  S. ;  died  since  muster  out. 

ALLEN,  SAMUEL  J. ;  resides  Moweaqua,  Illinois. 

ANDERSON,  SAMUEL  T. ;  drowned  at  Brown's  Ferry 
September  24,  1863. 

BRADLEY,  GEORGE  W. ;  enlisted  December  6,  1864; 
transferred  to  2ist  Illinois  June,  1865 ;  resides  at  Pana.  111. 

BABER,  JOHN  M. ;  died  at  Taylorville,  October,  1868. 

BAKER,  MARTIN  V. ;  died  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  December 
10,  1862. 

BANKSON,  JOSHUA  B.,  discharged  April  25.  1864,  on 
account  of  wounds  ;  died  in  Kentucky. 

BANKSON,  WINFIELD  S. ;  discharged  February  23. 
1863.  Reported  dead. 


COMPANY  A.  307 

BRODERICK,  JAMES ;  not  heard  from. 

BUGG,  WILLIAM ;  resides  at  Taylorville,  111. 

GALLOWAY,  ACHILLES  R. ;  discharged  March  25,  1865, 
on  account  of  wounds ;  resides  in  Hastings,  Neb. 

CHASTIAN,  JAMES  M.;  enrolled  December  6,  1864; 
transferred  to  the  21  st  Illinois  June  5,  1865  ;  resides  at  Cherry- 
vale,  Kan. 

CHASTIAN,  THOMAS  J. ;  resides  at  Cherryvale,  Kan. 

CHILDS,  WILLIAM  H. ;  was  prisoner  of  war;  resides  at 
Kansas  City,  Mo. 

CLARK,  EDWIN;  died  of  wounds  near  Philadelphia, 
Tenn,.  March  24,  1863. 

COFFEY,  BONAPARTE;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  Janu- 
ary 23,  1863. 

COFFEY,  ISHAM  ;  resides  at  Oberlin,  Kan. 

COWGILL,  EDWARD  D. ;  died  of  wounds  at  Chattanoo- 
ga, September  30,  1863. 

DE  MOSS,  CHARLES  ;  enrolled  December  6,  1864;  trans- 
ferred to  2ist  Illinois;  resides  at  Oil  Field,  111. 

DEMING,  LEONARD;  died  at  Richmond,  Ky.,  January 
14-  1863. 

DEVINE,  JAMES ;  discharged  on  account  of  wounds  May 
27,  1865  ;  last  heard  from  at  Wilcox,  Neb. 

DENTON,  MICAGER ;  died  at  Morrisonville,  111. 

EASLEY,  JOSEPH  ;  discharged  on  account  of  wounds  July 
19,  1864;  died  at  Soldiers'  Home,  1894. 

FRALEY,  JEROME  B. ;  discharged  May  11,  1863  ;  died  in 
Nebraska. 

FLEMING,  BENJAMIN ;   resides  at  Ottawa,  Kan. 

GORE,  JOHN;  died  October  15,  1899,  at  Taylorville,  111. 

GERMAN,  CHARLES  W. ;  resides  at  Springfield,  111. 

HARRIS,  ELIJAH  M. ;  discharged  June  4,  1863;  died  at 
Edinburg,  111. 

HASLETT,  GEORGE  ;  died  at  Cleveland,  Term.,  March  28, 
1864. 

HATFIELD,  JOHN  H. ;  died  in  Edinburg,  111. 

HAVERFIELD,  ALVIN;  enrolled  December  6,  1864, 
died  at  Huntsville,  Ala.,  March  6,  1865. 


308  COMPANY  A. 

HOLLO  WAY,  DANIEL  A. ;  enrolled  May  2,  1864;  trans- 
ferred to  2ist  Illinois  ;  last  at  Lineous,  Mo. 

JOHNSON,  ISAAC ;  died  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  November  1 1, 
«862. 

JOHNSON,  JAS.  D. ;  discharged  on  account  of  wounds  De- 
cember 10,  1864;  resides  at  Springfield,  111. 

JONES,  JOHN;  discharged  January  19,  1863;  resides  at 
Burlington,  Kan. 

KELLY,  JASPER  N. :  discharged  April  20,  1863;  resides 
in  Edinburg,  111. 

KELSAY,  STANTON  ;  transferred  to  engineer  corps,  July 
29.  1864 ;  resides  in  Louisville,  111. 

LANGLEY,  ALFRED  C. ;  last  heard  from  at  2631  Ridge 
Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 

LANGLEY,  THOMAS  J. :  enrolled  October  18,  1864;  re- 
sides at  Taylorville,  111. 

LARGE,  JOHN  ;  resides  at  Keith,  Okla. 

LAWTON,  JAMES ;  resides  at  Valparaiso,  Neb. 

LEE,  RICHARD ;  resides  at  Edinburg,  111. 

LANE,  DANIEL;  transferred  to  V.  R.  C. ;  died  at  Lines- 
ville,  la.,  September,  1899. 

MARTIN,  GEORGE  A. ;  last  heard  from  at  Lineous  Mo. 

MARROW,  JAMES  :  resides  at  Columbus,  Kan. 

McAFEE,  ROBERT  J. ;  born  in  Morgan  County,  111.,  in 
1844;  removed  to  Christian  County  in  1859  and  enlisted  in 
Company  A  August  15,  1862,  in  which  he  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  and  was  mustered  out  with  the  regiment.  He 
served  a  while  as  teamster  and  then  as  brigade  orderly.  Was 
with  the  regiment  in  all  its  battles  and  came  out  without  a  scar. 
In  1867  he  married  Miss  Anna  Large,  and  has  seven  children 
living.  His  postoffice  address  is  Rosemond,  111. 

McCRARY,  JAMES ;  resides  at  Taylorville,  111. 

McCUNE,  WILLIAM  ;  killed  by  guerrillas  March  n,  1865. 

McELROY,  JAMES  ;  resides  at  Morrisonville,  111. 

McDONALD,  SAMUEL  G. ;  died  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  April 
27,  1863. 

MESSLER,  VINCENT ;  died  of  wounds  at  Chickamauga. 
Tenn.,  November  4,  1863. 


COMPANY  A.  309 

MADISON,  NICHOLAS  C. ;  reported  dead. 

MILLIGAN,  JESSE  G. ;  died  at  Taylorville,  111.,  in  1867. 

MITCHELL,  DANIEL  M. ;  wounded  in  battle  ;  last  heard 
from  at  Benton,  111. 

MORRIS,  WILLIAM  A. ;  last  heard  of  at  North  English, 
la. 

OLLI VER,  JEFFREY ;  died  of  wounds  at  Tunnel  Hill,  Ga., 
July  12,  1864. 

ORR,  SAMUEL  M. ;  discharged  June  19,  1863;  died  at 
Owaneco,  111. 

PAINE,  ANSON;  born  at  South  Hadley,  Mass.,  April  i, 
1842.  He  served  as  clerk  in  a  store  several  years,  and  then  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  Pana,  111.,  in  1860.  He  was  with  the 
regiment  in  its  march  through  Kentucky  in  the  autumn  and 
winter  of  1862-63,  and  at  Franklin  at  the  time  of  the  rebel  at- 
tack in  April,  1863.  He  was  discharged  April  23,  1863,  because 
of  failure  of  eyesight.  He  was  an  efficient  soldier  while  he  re- 
mained with  the  regiment.  Since  the  war  he  has  been  engaged 
in  business  at  Rosemond,  111.,  where  he  now  resides. 

RUSSELL,  JOSEPH  ;  resides  at  Ramsey,  111. 

RUSSELL,  NEWTON  J. ;  enrolled  February  25,  1864; 
transferred  to  the  2ist  Illinois;  resides  at  Taylorville,  111. 

SHARP,  SAMUEL  H. ;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  February 
2i,  1863. 

SHAW,  JAMES  ;  was  a  prisoner  of  war  ;  mustered  out  July 
i,  1865;  died  in  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

SHETLER,  JEREMIAH  ;  resides  at  Litchfield,  Neb. 

SLOOP,  SAMUEL;  discharged  November  23,  1864;  last 
heard  of  at  Gypson,  Kan. 

SOWERS,  EDWARD  T. ;  resides  at  Taylorville.  111. 

STEVENS,  ANDREW  J. ;  enrolled  December  6,  1864; 
transferred  to  the  2ist  Illinois  ;  resides  near  Hutchinson,  Kan. 

SULLIVAN,  JOHN  ;  was  a  prisoner  of  war ;  died  since  the 
war  at  Taylorville,  111. 

W  ATKINS,  ENOS  presides  at  Vanderville,  111. 

WILLARD,  BENJAMIN  F. ;  not  heard  from. 

WILLIAMS,  WILLIAM  B. :  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn., 
March  24,  1863. 


COMPANY  B. 


COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

* 

ELEAZER  SDOCUM,  Captain  Company  B.  Captain  Slo- 
cum  was  born  of  New  England  parents  at  Norwalk,  Ohio,  No- 
vember 5,  1837.  He  attended  the  city  schools  till  sixteen  years 
old  and  then  clerked  in  a  dry  goods  store  for  a  while,  and  then 
removed  to  Shelbyville,  111.  Soon  after  the  firing  on  Fort 
Sumter  he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  I4th  Illinois  Volunteers, 
under  Col.  John  M.  Palmer,  founght  in  southwest  Missouri 
under  Fremont  and  participated  in  Grant's  Tennessee  cam- 
paign, including  the  battles  of  Fort  Donelson  and  Shiloh. 
Soon  after  that  he  was  taken  sick  and  sent  to  the  hospital  at 
Jefferson  Barracks,  and  later  discharged.  On  the  call  for  600,- 
ooo  men  he  assisted  Colonel  Poteet  and  others  in  recruiting 
Company  B  of  the  H5th,  and  on  its  final  organization  he  was 
elected  captain.  Having  a  natural  aptness  for  military  drill 
and  discipline,  in  his  service  in  the  I4th  he  had  become  thor- 
oughly familiar  with  the  company  and  battalion  movements, 
hence  he  was  not  long  in  bringing  Company  B  to  a  high  de- 
gree of  perfection  in  all  those  matters.  This  was  especially 
noticeable  in  the  skirmish  line.  On  one  of  those  occasions  they 
were  put  in  great  peril  by  a  mistake.  It  was  on  the  night  of 
September  18,  1863 ;  Captain  Slocum  was  officer  of  the  guard. 
In  the  darkness  they  nearly  ran  into  General  Whitaker  and  his 
staff,  who  supposed  them  to  be  Confederates,  and  the  general 
ordered  his  men  to  fire  on  them,  but  the  officer  in  charge  hap- 
pened to  belong  to  the  H5th  and  knowing  Captain  Slocum's 
voice  did  not  obey  the  order.  On  the  2Oth,  as  the  regiment 
was  on  its  way  to  Snodgrass  Hill,  Captain  Slocum  with  Com- 
pany B  was  on  the  skirmish  line  shielding  the  regiment  from 
the  attacks  of  Forrest's  cavalry  as  it  moved  past  Cloud's 
Spring.  In  the  struggle  on  Snodgrass  Hill  Captain  Slocum 


FIRST  SERGT.  JOHN  WEEKS. 

SERGT.  ELGIN  H.MARTIN.  SERGT.  FINLEY  BEHYMER. 

SERGT.  JAMES  G.  HOLDING.  CORP.  ROBERT  HOLDING. 

ALL  OF  COMPANY  B. 


COMPANY  B.  311 

had  command  of  the  left  wing,  after  the  death  of  Colonel 
Xinrnan.  After  that,  being  the  senior  captain,  he  was  fre- 
quently called  upon  to  discharge  the  duties  of  major.  In  the 
contest  for  the  succession  to  that  office,  after  the  promotion 
of  Major  Poteet,  Captain  Slocum  received  a  plurality  of  the 
votes  cast,  and  was  strongly  favored  by  Colonel  Moore  for 
the  position.  Failing  of  promotion,  he  continued  in  the  com- 
mand of  his  company  till  it  was  mustered  out.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Shelbyville,  111.,  where  he  was  some  time  in  busi- 
ness. After  that  he  served  as  railway  mail  clerk  for  some 
years.  His  health  failing,  he  accepted  a  place  in  the  National 
Military  Home,  first  in  the  branch  near  Milwaukee,  but  at 
present  in  the  home  near  Dayton,  Ohio.  His  address  is  Na- 
tional Military  Home,  Ohio. 

ERASMUS  D.  STEEX,  First  Lieutenant,  Brevet  Captain, 
U.  S.  Volunteers.  Captain  Steen  actively  assisted  in  the  for- 
mation of  Company  B  and  was  an  efficient  officer  in  the  com- 
pany until  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  While  gallantly  lead- 
ing his  men  in  the  action  on  that  eventful  Sunday  afternoon 
Lieutenant  Steen  was  very  severely  wounded  by  a  musket 
ball  through  the  abdomen.  Supposed  to  be  mortally  wounded 
he  was  carried  from  the  field  by  his  comrades  to  save  him  from 
dying  among  the  enemy.  However,  to  the  surprise  of  all 
who  saw  him  after  receiving  his  wound,  he  endured  the  jolt- 
ing of  the  transfer  from  McFarland's  to  Chattanooga  and  the 
weary  months  in  hospital  and  so  far  recovered  that  he  is 
now  able  to  do  some  business.  After  returning  to  the  regi- 
ment his  wound  still  so  far  disabled  him  that  he  was  unable 
for  duty  and  resigned  his  commission  on  April  20,  1865,  and 
returned  home.  He  was  some  time  in  business  in  Shelbyville 
and  later  several  years  in  business  at  Danville,  111.  He  then 
spent  several  years  as  excursion  agent  for  various  railroads, 
residing  in  Chicago.  He  was  married  before  entering  the 
army  and  has  several  grown  children, — a  son  being  in  part- 
nership with  him,  a  daughter,  the  wife  of  Judge  Thompson  of 
Danville.  111.,  and  two  daughters  at  home.  He  is  now  in  the 
real  estate  business  at  Room  38  Merchants'  Building,  and  re- 
sides at  No.  240  Hampden  Court,  Chicago. 


312  COMPANY  B. 

EZEKIEL  K.  SCHWARTZ,  First  Lieutenant,  was  born 
in  Lewistown,  Pa.,  December  9,  1838.  He  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  at  that  place,  and  in  the  Lewistown  Acad- 
emy. He  removed  to  Illinois  in  April,  1859,  and  taught  school 
in  Macon  and  Shelby  Counties.  He  enlisted  in  Shelby  County 
as  a  private  in  Company  B  in  August,  1862.  He  was  soon 
made  a  corporal,  and  on  March  26,  1863,  was  promoted  to  be 
second  lieutenant,  and  on  May  u,  1865,  was  promoted  to  first 
lieutenant.  Lieutenant  Schwartz  was  in  the  regiment  in  all 
its  campaigns  and  battles,  excepting  a  short  time  in  the  spring 
of  1865,  when  he  served  as  aide-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  the 
brigade  commander.  He  is  deserving  of  the  highest  com- 
mendation for  his  patriotism  and  courage  displayed  on  the 
battle-field,  and  for  his  faithfulness  in  all  his  duties  of  the 
several  positions  occupied  by  him.  He  was  mustered  out  with 
the  regiment  in  June,  1865,  and  at  once,  like  a  good  soldier, 
returned  to  the  duties  of  civil  life,  and  engaged  in  farming, 
a  short  distance  north  of  Shelbyville,  111.  He  was  married 
December  27,  1866,  and  resided  on  the  same  farm  until  Octo- 
ber 20,  1892,  when  he  removed  to  Findlay,  111.,  where  he 
engaged  in  general  mercantile  business,  in  which  he  is  still 
employed. 

JOHN  BEACHAMP,  Second  Lieutenant,  died  March  26, 
1863. 

SERGEANTS. 

JOHN  WEEKS,  First  Sergeant,  was  a  native  of  Illinois, 
having  first  seen  the  light  near  Greenville,  Bond  County,  Feb- 
ruary 3,  1831.  He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  where  he  received 
the  education  common  to  the  young  people  of  his  vicinity.  In 
1851  he  began  teaching  school  in  Montgomery  County,  111. 
In  June,  1860,  he  removed  to  Shelby  County,  where  he  con- 
tinued teaching  until  he  enlisted.  He  efficiently  assisted  in 
organizing  the  company  and  was  elected  first  sergeant.  He 
was  with  his  company  in  all  its  campaigns  and  battles,  except- 
ing the  battle  of  Nashville.  At  Chickamauga  he  rendered 
valuable  assistance  to  Captain  Slocum  in  directing  the  move- 
ments of  the  company  after  Lieutenant  Steen  was  wounded. 


COMPANY  B.  313 

Sergeant  Weeks  was  the  only  one  of  his  mess  that  passed 
through  the  battle  unhurt.  It  was  to  Sergeant  Weeks  that 
General  Steedman  handed  the  regimental  colors  after  carrying 
them  only  a  few  rods  in  that  last  charge  at  Chickamauga, 
and  he  carried  them  right  bravely  to  the  top  of  the  hill.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Shelbyville,  and  was  imme- 
diately employed  in  the  same  school  where  he  taught  before 
enlisting.  In  October,  1866,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Sevilla  J.  Sill,  of  Hennepin,  111.,  from  which  union  he 
lias  seven  children  living,  five  sons  and  two  daughters.  His 
eldest  son  is  a  sailor  in  the  New  York,  London  and  Aus- 
tralian trade.  In  1881  he  gave  up  school  teaching  and  became 
postmaster  at  Tower  Hill,  which  position  he  held  nearly  eight 
years.  He  was  then  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  eleven  years. 
He  is  now  resting  from  his  labors  at  Tower  Hill,  111. 

JAMES  G.  HOLDING,  eldest  son  of  Chaplain  Holding, 
was  born  June  3,  1839,  in  Kentucky,  receiving  his  education 
in  the  select  schools  of  that  State  and  at  the  academy  at  Me- 
chanicsburg,  111.  He  enlisted  in  Company  B  at  its  organiza- 
tion, two  of  his  brothers,  Carlisle  B.  and  Robert,  being  also 
in  the  army,  as  well  as  the  father.  He  was  a  sergeant  and 
faithfully  discharged  his  duty  and  came  through  to  the  end 
without  being  wounded,  though  at  one  time  receiving  a  shot 
through  his  cap.  He  maintained  his  Christian  integrity 
throughout  the  service.  In  1866,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Anna  C.  Snyder.  For  a  number  of  years  he  served  as  mail 
clerk  on  one  of  the  railways.  On  June  16,  1880,  he  answered 
the  last  roll  call  and  was  buried  at  Grandview,  111.,  leaving  a 
widow,  two  sons  and  a  daughter  surviving.  His  family  is  now 
residing  at  Oberlin,  O. 

JOHN  H.  DAVIS  was  mortally  wounded  in  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga  and  died  September  28,  1863. 

WALLACE  W.  ARCHER  resides  at  Austin,  Tex. 

ELGIN  H.  MARTIN  was  born  in  Ohio  June  5,  1842,  and 
came  to  Illinois  in  1858.  He  was  one  of  four  brothers  who 
served  the  United  States  in  the  Civil  War.  The  first  brother 
enlisted  in  the  1/j.th  Illinois,  May,  1861,  and  died  in  November 
the  same  year.  The  second  brother  took  the  vacant  place 


314  COMPANY  B. 

in  the  same  regiment  and  was  severely  wounded  a  month  later 
in  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  In  July,  1862,  Elgin  H.  enlisted  in 
Company  B  and  participated  in  all  its  marches  and  engage- 
ments until  February  24,  1864,  when  he  was  severely  wounded 
in  the  battle  in  front  of  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  Ga.,  which  perma- 
nently disabled  him  from  carrying  a  musket  and  thereafter  his 
service  was  mostly  on  detached  duty.  He  was  made  sergeant 
after  the  Chickamauga  campaign,  and  later  had  command  of 
the  provost  guard  of  the  "Iron  Brigade."  Since  the  war  Ser- 
geant Martin  has  been  continuously  connected  with  the  press. 
During  President  Harrison's  administration  he  served  as  post- 
master of  Shelbyville,  111.,  where  he  now  resides. 

FINLEY  BEHYMER  was  born  in  Clermont  County,  Ohio, 
March  n,  1829.  His  opportunities  for  an  education  were 
limited  to  the  district  school.  He  served  an  apprenticeship  of 
three  years  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  near  Cincinnati,  after 
which  he  served  as  foreman  for  his  employer.  In  1852  he 
came  to  Indianapolis,  where  he  worked  a  year  on  the  Bates 
House,  the  Blind  Asylum  and  the  Capitol.  He  then  returned 
to  Cincinnati,  and  January  5,  1854,  was  married  to  Mrs. 
Susan  Leach  Ashcraft.  In  1857  he  removed  to  Shelbyville. 
111.  He  has  there  carried  on  the  business  of  a  contractor  and 
builder  until  the  present  time,  except  his  three  years'  absence 
in  the  army.  In  August,  1862,  he  assisted  in  recruiting  Com- 
pany B,  and  was  elected  first  corporal,  and  was  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  sergeant  February  i,  1864.  He  was  with  his 
company  in  all  his  campaigns,  except  when  on  detached  ser- 
vice. He  claims  the  honor  of  serving  as  a  commissioned  offi- 
cer in  the  battle  of  Wauhatchie,  October  29,  1863,  and  of 
commanding  the  regiment  a  part  of  a  day  at  Shell  Mound,  on 
New  Year's  day  1864,  by  order  of  the  colonel,  while  all  the 
officers  were  celebrating  a  short  distance  away.  He  was  ap- 
pointed color  sergeant  June  2,  1864,  and  was  highly  com- 
mended for  gallant  conduct  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty,  espe- 
cially in  the  battle  of  Nashville.  On  muster  out  of  the  regi- 
ment, he  returned  to  Shelbyville,  and  still  remains  one  of  its 
most  respected  citizens. 


COMPANY  B.  315 

CORPORALS. 

WILLIAM  H.  CARROL  was  severely  wounded  in  the  bat 
tie  of  Nashville  December  15,  1864,  and  died  of  his  wounds 
at  Jeffersonville,  Ind.,  February  6,  1865. 

HERMAN  SAGEBIEL  is  said  to  reside  at  Dayton,  Ohio, 

GEORGE  W.  FR1NGER  is  a  physician  and  resides  at 
Pana,  111. 

WILLIAM  KINNEY;  discharged  March  31,  1863;  re- 
ported dead. 

HENRY  C.  ENDICOTT;  resides  at  No.  1320  Third  Street, 
San  Diego,  Cal. 

JOHN  MURDOCK  was  born  in  Scotland  July  12,  1824, 
and  came  to  America  in  1857,  and  located  at  Shelbyville,  111., 
where  he  followed  the  occupation  of  expert  weaver  in  silks, 
satins,  and  similar  fabrics.  Loyal  to  his  adopted  country,  he 
enlisted  at  the  organization  of  Company  B,  and  was  a  faith- 
ful soldier,  taking  his  full  share  of  all  duty  until  the  final 
discharge  of  the  regiment.  He  was  wounded  at  Chicka- 
mauga.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  home  and  re- 
sumed his  former  occupation.  He  was  thoroughly  honest  in 
all  circumstances  of  life,  and  commanded  in  the  highest  degree 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens.  He  died  at 
Shelbyville,  May  5,  1893,  leaving  two  daughters,  Isabel  and 
Mary  Murdock,  who  reside  at  Shelbyville. 

ABRAHAM  S.  DUTTON  resides  at  Stafford,  Kan. 

JOHN  FRAZER ;  transferred  to  invalid  corps  September 
i,  1863;  reported  to  have  died  at  Shelbyville,  111. 

CHARLES  LEIGHTER;  discharged  January  23,  1863; 
not  heard  from. 

BENJAMIN  TRUIT ;   resides  at  Assumption,  111. 

LEIGH  R.  LUCAS  was  born  at  Bloomington,  111.,  October 
14,  1843,  where  he  received  a  common  school  education.  After 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  he  removed  to  Shelbyville,  111., 
and  enlisted  at  the  organization  of  Company  B.  He  was 
wounded  at  Chickamauga,  and  spent  some  weeks  in  the  hos- 
pital in  Nashville  as  a  result.  On  recovering  he  rejoined  his 
regiment  at  Chattanooga,  and  was  with  it  until  the  close  of  the 
war  and  final  discharge.  He  now  resides  at  Springfield,  Ohio. 


316  COMPANY  B. 

SOLOMON  YOUNG;  resides  at  Bladon,  Neb. 

FRANKLIN  THORPE  was  promoted  from  private ;  now 
resides  at  Chapman,  Kan. 

ROBERT  S.  HOLDING,  a  son  of  Chaplain  Holding,  has 
been  in  many  parts  of  the  far  west.  Was  at  Gold  Hill,  Colo- 
rado, when  last  heard  from. 

MUSICIANS. 

MATTHEW  J.  YERNER  was  born  in  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia, June  5,  1847,  and  while  very  young  his  parents  re- 
moved to  Illinois.  At  the  age  of  seven  he  was  left  an  orphan, 
and  lived  with  friends  until  twelve  years  of  age,  after  which 
he  resided  with  his  brother  in  Shelby  County,  111.,  until  he 
enlisted  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  in  Company  B  as  musician.  How- 
ever, he  shouldered  his  gun  with  the  rest  of  his  company 
and  gallantly  participated  in  the  battles  of  Chickamauga  and 
Resaca.  In  1863  he  was  appointed  brigade  orderly,  and  acted 
as  such  until  mustered  out.  Matthew  Yerner  was  well  known 
to  all  the  regiment  for  his  polite  deportment  and  ready  dis- 
charge of  duty  as  orderly,  and  for  his  soldierly  qualities.  On 
being  mustered  out  in  June,  1865,  he  returned  to  Shelbyville, 
111.,  where  he  attended  school  until  March,  1868.  He  then 
removed  to  Eureka,  Kan. ;  in  1887  he  removed  to  Kansas 
City,  Mo.,  where  he  now  resides,  and  is  senior  partner  of  the 
live  stock  commission  firm  of  Verner  &  Scroggin.  While  in 
Kansas  he  held  the  office  of  registrar  of  deeds  for  four  years, 
and  was  sheriff  four  years.  He  was  married  in  Shelby  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  in  1869,  to  Miss  C.  A.  Pugh,  and  has  two  children. 
He  is  a  prominent  citizen  of  Kansas  City,  and  a  thirty-second 
degree  mason. 

LEWIS  C.  BEEM ;  not  heard  from  since  muster  out. 

WAGONER. 

LARKIN  MOYER  was  a  prisoner  of  war.  He  died  at 
Shelbyville,  111.,  in  1868. 

PRIVATES. 

AKINS,  JOHN  H. ;  discharged  July  23,  1863;  resides  at 
Cowden,  111. 


COMPANY  B.  317 

AMLIN,  MILO  J. ;  resides  at  Ionia,  Jewell  County,  Kan. 

ARNOLD,  ISAAC;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  March  2,  1863. 

AUSTIN,  JOHN  ;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  April  3,  1864. 

BAKER,  REV.  FLETCHER  D.,  D.  D. ;  was  with  the  regi- 
ment from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  his  service,  never  miss- 
ing to  exceed  ten  days  from  duty.  On  leaving  the  army  he 
attended  school  at  Valparaiso,  Ind.,  and  then  at  DePauw  Uni- 
versity. He  entered  the  Northwest  Indiana  conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  September,  1871,  and  removed 
to  Kansas  in  1878.  He  is  now7  presiding  elder  of  the  Con- 
cordia  district.  He  is  a  merfiber  of  the  G.  A.  R.  and  is  active 
in  this  work.  He  married  Miss  Ella  Vanarsdel  in  1872.  They 
now  reside  in  Concordia,  Kan. 

BAKER,  JOSEPH  G. ;  resides  at  Kiowa,  Kan. 

BAKER,  THOMAS :  was  transferred  to  the  engineer  corps 
July  25,  1864;  said  to  reside  at  Good  Hope,  111. 

BARGY,  ARBEN ;  not  heard  from. 

BARRETT,  SAMUEL:  died  at  Lakewood,  111.,  August, 
1897. 

BRIGHT,  GEORGE  W. ;  enrolled  November  25,  1863; 
transferred  to  the  2ist  Illinois;  reported  dead. 

CALHOUN,  JAMES  R. ;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  February 
-4.  1863. 

CORLEY,  JOEL ;  resides  at  Thurber,  Reno  County,  Kan. 

COWGILL,  JOHN  W.  F. ;  died  in  Portland,  Ore. 

FINKBINE,  TOBIAS ;  born  in  Butler  County,  Ohio,  Oc- 
tober 14,  1841,  where  he  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion.- In  the  spring  of  1857,  he  removed  to  Illinois  and  set- 
tled on  a  farm  near  Shelbyville,  where  he  assisted  his  father 
in  farming,  until  he  enlisted  in  1862  in  Company  B,  in  which 
he  served  faithfully  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1867  he 
returned  to  Ohio,  where  he  was  married  and  settled  on  a 
farm  near  his  old  homestead,  where  he  still  resides,  his  post- 
office  address  being  Oxford,  Ohio. 

GARVIN.  CHARLES:  died  at  Danville.  Ky.,  January  10. 
1863. 

GINGER,  JOSEPH  C. :  discharged  December  13.  1862; 
said  to  reside  at  Mode.  111. 


318  COMPANY  B. 

GADDIS,  WILSON  ;  died  at  Pana,  111.,  October  6,  1862. 

HENRY,  ELEAZER;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  January  23, 
1863. 

HILDEBRAND,  SPENCER;  transferred  to  2ist  Illinois; 
reported  dead. 

HORNBECK,  CURTIS;  discharged  April  3,  1863;  re- 
ported dead. 

JACKSON,  DANIEL;  died  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  April  29, 
1863. 

JARVIS,  LOSCEN  ;  died  at  Triune,  Tenn.,  January  22, 
1863. 

LEACH,  LA  FAYETTE ;  reported  at  Findlay,  111. 

LEACH,  WILLIAM ;  died  of  starvation  in  Andersonville 
prison,  September  10,  1864;  grave  No.  8,464. 

LEIST,  WILLIAM  C. ;  died  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  April  18. 
1863. 

LENOVER,  GEORGE;  died  August  14,  1876. 

LOGSDEN,  JOSEPH ;  born  in  Homes  County,  Ohio,  Oc- 
tober 28,  1839,  ar"d  removed  to  Illinois  in  early  life.  He  en- 
listed in  Company  B  at  its  organization,  and  was  a  brave 
soldier,  serving  with  his  company  and  participating  in  all  its 
battles  and  marches  till  the  final  muster  out.  After  the  war 
he  removed  to  St.  Mary's,  Mo.,  where  he  died  August  21, 
1896,  his  wife  and  seven  children  surviving. 

McDANIEL,  CHARLES;  discharged  July  23,  1863;  said 
to  reside  at  Holliday,  111. 

McHALL  .WILLIAM ;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  January  19, 
1863. 

MOORE,  JOHN  W. ;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  January  26, 
1863. 

MOORE,  JOHN ;  died  at  Tullahoma,  Tenn.,  September  8, 
1863. 

MYERS,  LEVI  M. ;  killed  at  Brown's  Ferry,  Tenn.,  Sep- 
tember 25,  1863. 

MYERS,  WILLIAM  M. ;  resides  at  Assumption,  111. 

McNEELY,  THOMAS  B. ;  born  in  Shelby  County,  Ind.. 
December  n,  1844,  and  removed  to  Shelby  County,  111.,  in 
1859.  He  received  a  good  common  school  education  and 


J.  J.  PURKEY.  WM.  H.  CARROLL. 

JOHN  MURDOCK. 

FRANKLIN  THORPE.  THOMAS  B.  McNEELY. 

ALL  OF  COMPANY  B. 


COMPANY   Ii.  319 

enlisted  with  the  company  at  its  organization,  and  was  with 
it  until  the  muster  out.  He  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of 
Nashville,  and  is  justly  proud  of  his  army  record.  He  mar- 
ried Miss  Martha  E.  Taylor  in  1866,  and  has  a  family  of  ten 
children.  He  is  a  successful  farmer  and  stock  raiser  and 
resides  near  Beecher  City,  111.,  where  he  is  always  glad  to 
welcome  his  comrades. 

MOOMEY,  JOSEPH  ;  was  prisoner  of  war  in  Libby  and 
Andersonville  seventeen  months ;  died  at  Arkansas  City,  Kan., 
February  6,  1898. 

MOOMEY,  SOLOMON;  discharged  April  20,  1864,  on 
account  of  wounds  received  in  battle ;  resides  at  Bartlesville, 
Cherokee  Nation,  I.  T. 

NICHOLAS,  GEORGE  L. ;  discharged  May  31,  1864,  for 
wounds  received  in  battle ;  resides  at  Wynoose,  Wayne  Coun- 
ty, 111. 

PAGE,  NICHOLAS ;  died  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  May  2,  1863. 

PAGE,  WILLIAM  ;  died  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  April  26,  1863. 

PATTERSON,  THOMAS  S. ;  transferred  to  engineer 
corps  July  28,  1864;  not  heard  from. 

POTEET,  ISAAC;  discharged  April  21,  1863;  supposed 
to  be  dead. 

RANKIN,  DAVID;  died  at  Danville,  Ky..  January  27, 
1863. 

REID,  WILLIAM  H. ;  resides  at  Stewardson,  111. 

REID,  JAMES;  enrolled  November  25,  1863;  transferred 
to  the  2ist  Illinois;  resides  at  Shelbyville,  111. 

REESE,  WILLIAM;  died  October  12,  1863,  at  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  of  wounds  received  in  battle. 

REYNOLDS,  WILLIAM  J. ;  enrolled  November  25,  1863  ; 
transferred  to  the  2ist  Illinois;  resides  at  Cowden,  111. 

ROBINSON,  GEORGE ;  died  at  Tower  Hill,  111.,  May  6, 
1886. 

SELBY,  JOHN  A. ;  resides  at  Tower  Hill,  111. 

STOTLER,  HENRY ;  died  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  November, 
1862. 

STOTLER,  WILLIAM ;  died  at  Covington,  Ky.,  October 

21,    l862. 


320  COMPANY  B. 

STUMPF,  JOHN  C. ;  resides  at  Shelbyville,  111. 

TAYLOR,  BAZEL  W. ;  born  in  Knox  County,  Ohio,  Feb- 
ruary 21,  1841.  He  enlisted  at  the  organization  of  the  com- 
pany. He  was  with  the  company  and  participated  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Chickamauga  and  other  engagements  near  Chattanooga. 
He  was  transferred  to  the  veteran  reserve  corps  April  10, 
1864,  in  which  he  remained  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
now  resides  at  Holliday,  111. 

THOMPSON,  HAMILTON  ;  not  heard  from. 

THOMPSON,  RAND  H. ;  killed  in  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga, September  20,  1863. 

TRAVIS,  EZRA  J. ;  has  been  United  States  mail  contractor 
in  Chicago  and  New  York ;  office  on  Michigan  Avenue,  Chi- 
cago. 

TRAVIS,  HARVEY  M. ;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  Novem- 
ber 19,  1863. 

TRAVIS,  WILLIAM  I.;  discharged  April  14,  1864:  sup- 
posed to  be  dead. 

WADE,  WILLIAM  H. ;  died  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  April  20, 
1863. 

WAGONER,  JOHN;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  January  15, 
1863. 

WEAKLY,  EMANUEL  J. ;  reported  residence  Washing- 
ton, Kan. 

WHITE,  HAWLEY ;  reported  residence  Red  Wing,  Minn. 

WILLIAMS,  JESSE :  reported  residence  La  Fontaine, 
Kan. 

YOUNG,  JEREMIAH  ;  reported  dead. 


COMPANY  C. 


COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

DAVID  WILLIAMS,  Captain,  was  born  in  'New  York  in 
1831,  and  with  his  parents  moved  to  Wabash  County,  111.,  in 
1837,  where  he  resided  until  1862.  He  then  gave  up  a  good 
position  to  enlist  in  the  service  of  his  country.  In  August 
of  that  year  he  raised  a  company  of  as  good  fighting  men  as 
ever  graced  an  army,  and  leaving  his  wife  and  family,  went 
into  the  service.  For  three  years,  without  intermission,  he 
devoted  his  time  to  the  care  of  the  men  under  him.  He  was 
a  Republican  when  he  enlisted,  and  has  ever  since  advocated 
publicly  and  privately  the  principles  of  that  party.  His  record 
in  the  army  was  that  of  a  faithful  soldier  and  commander.  He 
was  ever  watchful  for  the  welfare  of  his  command— in  which 
he  had  few  equals  and  no  superiors.  He  now  resides  at 
Wynnwood,  I.  T.,  and  is  engaged  in  the  real  estate  business. 

EPHRAIM  H.  KINGERY,  First  Lieutenant;  resigned 
September  7,  1863;  resides  at  Mendota,  111. 

GIDEON  L.  UTTER,  First  Lieutenant ;  promoted  from 
second  lieutenant  September  7,  1863;  resigned  December  2, 
1864.  He  now  resides  at  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  and  is  engaged  in 
real  estate  business. 

JOHN  C.  K.  YOUNGKEN,  First  Lieutenant,  a  graduate 
of  Hanover  College,  was  enrolled  as  a  private  in  Company  C; 
was  promoted  to  commissary  sergeant  in  April,  1863,  in  which 
position  he  did  efficient  service  till  promoted  to  first  lieutenant 
April  10,  1865.  On  returning  from  the  army  he  served  several 
years  as  principal  of  the  Friendsville  (111.)  Seminary.  He  then 
removed  to  Ventura,  Cal.,  where  he  now  resides,  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business.  He  is  married  and  has  grown  children. 


322  COMPANY  C. 

SERGEANTS. 

JOHN  S.  MUNDY,  First  Sergeant ;  reported  to  be  residing 
at  Whiterite,  Grayson  County,  Tex. 

JOHN  M.  BROWN;  discharged  April  10,   1863;  died  at 
Olney,  111. 

HUGH  H.  FRY  ;  discharged  May  23,  1863  ;  resides  at  Al- 
bion, 111. 

EDWIN  UTTER;  discharged  May  13,  1863;  resides  at 
Frederick,  1)1. 

LEWIS  GEISLER ;  died  from  accidental  fall  from  car  at 
Knoxville,  Tenn.,  April  20,  1865. 

GEORGE  W.  RHOADES;  born  April  23,  1837,  i"  Rich- 
land  County,  111.  In  1843  he  removed  with  his  father's  family 
to  Edwards  County,  111.,  where  he  was  reared  on  a  farm,  and 
received  the  usual  limited  country  school  education.  He 
learned  the  carriage  and  wagon  making  trade,  which  he  fol- 
lowed until  he  enlisted  in  the  army.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
Caroline  Mundy  in  the  spring  of  1862.  He  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany C  at  its  organization.  He  was  detailed  on  the  color 
guard,  and  carried  the  colors  part  of  the  time,  until  sent  to 
the  general  hospital  at  Louisville  on  account  of  rheumatism. 
He  was  with  the  company  through  the  campaign  of  1863,  until 
the  beginning  of  the  Atlanta  campaign.  In  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga,  in  which  five  of  the  nine  color  guards  were 
either  killed  or  wounded,  he  was  slightly  wounded  in  the 
right  hand.  He  was  promoted  for  gallant  conduct  to  the  po- 
sition of  sergeant,  which  he  occupied  at  the  time  of  muster 
out.  He  removed  to  Mt.  Carmel  in  1890,  where  he  now  re- 
sides, and  is  a  member  of  T.  S.  Bower's  Post  of  the  G.  A.  R., 
in  which  he  has  filled  all  the  chairs. 

HON.  EDWIN  REED  RIDGELY,  son  of  William  S. 
Ridgely  and  Ann  Eliza  Crowell  Ridgely,  was  born  May  9, 
1844,  near  Lancaster,  Wabash  County,  111.  His  parents  were 
farmers,  and  he  shared  the  lot  of  a  pioneer  farmer's  son,  help- 
ing to  clear  away  the  timber,  enlarging  the  farm,  replacing  the 
log  cabin  in  which  he  was  born  with  a  brick  dwelling,  and  con- 
structing barns.  His  education  was  acquired  during  the  few 
weeks  of  winter  weather  at  the  district  school  in  the  village  of 


COMPANY  C.  323 

Lancaster.  At  the  age  of  eighteen,  August  12,  18,62,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  C  as  a  private,  immediately  going  with 
his  company  into  active  service,  sharing  its  fate  and  that  of 
the  regiment  without  asking  or  receiving  furlough  or  leave 
of  absence  to  the  end  of  the  war ;  in  the  meantime  he  was 
promoted  to  sergeant.  During  the  entire  three  years  his  com.- 
pany  was  never  under'  the  enemy's  fire  without  his  presence, 
rifle  in  hand,  doing  his  share  of  the  fighting.  Sergeant  Ridgely 
had  a  thrilling  experience  at  the  battle  of  Nashville.  While 
the  Union  lines  were  charging  the  enemy's  works  and  a  Con- 
federate battery  immediately  in  front  of  the  H5th  was  pour- 
ing shot  and  shell  into  its  ranks,  a  shell  struck  in  front  of  his 
position,  throwing  much  earth  against  him,  knocking  him 
down  and  leaving  him  for  a  time  unconscious.  After  some 
minutes  he  proceeded  to  rejoin  his  regiment,  which  had  con- 
tinued the  charge,  and  was  then  halted  about  400  feet  in  ad- 
vance. As  he  crawled  forward  to  his  company  his  comrades 
expressed  astonishment,  as  they  supposed  the  shell  had  cut 
his  body  in  two.  After  leaving  the  army  he  spent  a  short  time 
with  his  parents,  then  participated  with  others  in  a  contract 
to  build  a  large  school  house  at  Olney,  learning  the  brick 
mason's  trade  while  thus  engaged.  Later  he  attended  school 
at  Batavia,  111.,  but  his  health  failing,  he  removed  to  Girard, 
Kan.,  and  with  his  brother  Stephen  R.  Ridgley,  engaged  in 
general  mercantile  business,  which  they  have  pursued  almost 
to  the  present  time.  In  the  meantime  he  carried  on  the  cattle 
business,  making  several  trips  over  the  trail  to  and  from  Texas, 
California,  Oregon  and  Washington.  In  1896  he  was  unani- 
mously nominated  by  the  People's  party  as  its  candidate  for 
Congress  for  the  3d  Kansas  District,  and  was  also  nominated 
by  the  Democratic  party,  and  after  a  heated  campaign,  elected 
by  4,500  majority.  He  was  nominated  and  re-elected  in  1898, 
and  is  now,  in  1900,  serving  in  the  56th  Congress.  At  the 
time  of  the  Civil  War  he  was  an  abolition  Republican,  but 
joined  the  Greenback  party  in  1876,  because  of  the  financial 
question,  and  has  continued  with  its  successor,  the  People's 
party,  and  steadily  grown  more  and  more  positive  and  favor- 
able to  its  policy.  His  present  residence  is  at  Pittsburg,  Kan. 


324  COMPANY  C. 

JOHN  W.  HILL;  died  at.  Bridgeport,  111.,  September  5, 
1899. 

GEORGE  C.  SHEARER  ;  born  in  Franklin  County,  Mass., 
in  1827,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1859.  He  enlisted  at  the  or- 
ganization of  the  company,  and  was  with  the  regiment  in  all 
its  service  and  battles.  He  was  one  of  the  most  faithful  sol- 
diers, and  brave  to  a  fault.  He  was  loved  and  respected  by 
all  who  knew  him.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Mt.  Carmel,  111., 
January  8,  1898. 

JOHN  H.  WILLIAMS;  enrolled  as  private;  promoted  to 
sergeant;  discharged  June  15,  1864,  on  account  of  wounds  re- 
ceived in  battle;  died  at  Bridgeport,  111.,  in  1870. 

CORPORALS. 

WILLIAM  LAUTERMAN ;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  Febru- 
ary 8,  1863. 

GEORGE  T.  KELSEY ;  reported  dead. 

HAMILTON  HINKLE;  died  at  Richmond,  Ky.,  Decem- 
ber 29,  1862. 

FREDERICK  GADDE ;  killed  at  Chickamauga,  Septem- 
ber 20,  1863. 

MOSES  DUTY ;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  April  2,  1863. 

RICHARD  UTTER;  born  near  Alt,  Carmel,  111.,  October 
7,  1847,  and  lived  on  the  farm  until  1862,  when  he  enlisted  at 
the  organization  of  Company  C.  His  education  was  obtained 
in  the  old  country  subscription  school,  and  by  his  own  exer- 
tions at  home.  He  was  one  of  the  faithful  of  Company  C 
throughout  its  service,  and  made  a  record  equal  to  the  best. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  he  worked  at  a  mechanical  trade  four- 
teen years.  Since  then  he  has  been  a  commercial  salesman 
for  many  years,  but  is  now  in  the  real  estate  business  at  Mt. 
Carmel,  111.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Molly  Seed,  of  St.  Fran- 
cisville,  111.,  September  18,  1887.  In  1892  she  died,  leaving  a 
son  two  years  old,  who  has  been  his  father's  traveling  com- 
panion ever  since. 

WALLACE  A.  FREEMAN ;  resides  at  Cards  Point,  111. 

GEORGE  H.  HIGGINS :  resides  at  Berryville,  111. 

LEWIS  L.  RUNYON ;  resides  at  Friendsville,  111. 


NICHOLAS  PETERS.  THOMAS  STONE,  1862. 

G.  C.  SHEARER.  THOMAS  STONE,  1899. 

ALL  OF  COMPANY  C. 


COMPANY  C.  325 

ALBERT  KNOLL ;  promoted  from  private ;  discharged 
March  19,  1863;  resides  at  Olive,  Orange  County,  Cal. 

DANIEL  B.  RIGG ;  died  since  muster  out  at  Bemiont.  111. 

JOSEPH  SHEARER;  died  July  n,  1900,  at  Mainville, 
Ohio,  and  was  buried  at  Mt.  Carmel,  111. 

FRAZIE  A.  CAMPBELL;  discharged  November  3.  1863; 
resides  at  Bridgeport,  111. 

BENJAMIN  F.  WARNER;  resides  at  Willow  Springs, 
Missouri. 

JOHN  W.  HAM;  enlisted  as  private;  promoted  corporal; 
reported  to  be  residing  at  Grayville,  111. 

MUSICIAN. 

HENRY  GARD ;  was  in  Andersonville  prison ;  reported 
-dead. 

WAGONER. 
JOHN   MULL;  reported  dead. 

PRIVATES. 

ARMSTRONG,  EPHRAIM  ;  enrolled  January  28,  1864; 
died  at  Tunnel  Hill,  Ga.,  October  24,  1864. 

BAIRD,  FRANKLIN  ;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve  corps 
April  30,  1864;  died  since  muster  out,  at  Keensburg,  111. 

BARRIER,  ABRAHAM  ;  address  Box  444,  Eureka,  Kan. 

BARRINGER,  ABEL;  killed  by  lightning  since  muster 
•out,  at  Enterprise,  111. 

BAXTER,  JAMES  H. ;  discharged  August  4,  1863 :  died 
at  Keensburg,  111.,  December  15,  1897. 

BRINES,  FRANKLIN;  transferred  to  2ist  Illinois;  re- 
sides at  Mount  Carmel,  111. 

BROWN,  WILBUR  F. ;  died  October  14,  1863.  of  wounds 
received  at  Chickamauga. 

BURROUGHS,  REV.  JAMES  GREENE ;  born  near  Phil- 
ipstown,  White  County,  111.,  December  17,  1837.  He  was  the 
youngest  of  ten  children,  and  was  left  an  orphan  when  but 
two  years  old.  Early  in  life  he  determined  to  be  a  minister, 
and  thereafter  bent  all  his  energies  toward  equipping  himself 
ior  that  work.  He  had  been  preaching  successfully  for  sev- 


326  COMPANY  C. 

eral  years  in  Illinois  and  Indiana,  when  he  heard  his  country's 
call  and  enlisted  in  Company  C  at  Bridgeport,  111.,  August  8, 
1862.  He  shared  in  the  marches,  battles  and  honors  of  his 
regiment  until  mustered  out  June  n,  1865.  He  immediately 
returned  to  his  life  calling,  which  he  faithfully  prosecuted,  until 
recently  he  was  compelled  to  retire  because  of  failing  health. 
In  May,  1866,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  McCondie  at 
Taylorville,  111.  This  union  was  blessed  with  four  children, 
two  sons  and  two  daughters.  He  now  resides  at  Berkley,  Va., 
awaiting  the  summons  to  the  ''roll  call  up  yonder." 

CANADY,  JAMES  M. ;  resides  at  Emerson,  Iowa. 

CLINES,  WILLIAM  ;  reported  dead. 

CLODFELTER,  ALLEN ;  born  in  Edwards  County,  111., 
October  16,  1840.  He  received  the  common  school  educa- 
tion of  that  county,  and  enlisted  in  Company  C  August  22, 
1862.  He  was  with  the  regiment  in  all  its  campaigns  and 
battles  until  mustered  out  of  the  service  in  1865.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Edwards  County,  111.,  where  he  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  farming.  His  postoffice  address  is  West  Salem. 

CLODFELTER,  EMANUEL;  transferred  to  engineer 
corps  April  24,  1864;  resides  at  Atlanta,  111. 

CROWELL,  SENECA  W. ;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve 
corps  April  30,  1864;  died  at  Friendsville,  111. 

DELL,  JOHN  ;  discharged  March  23,  1863  ;  not  heard  from. 

FOREMAN,  SAMUEL ;  reported  at  Wichita,  Kan. 

FREEMAN,  THOMAS  J. ;  died  at  Chattanooga  October 
16,  1863,  of  wounds  received  at  Chickamauga. 

GARD,  CHARLES;  discharged  June  18,  1863;  died  at 
Cards  Point,  111. 

GILLESPJE,  JOHN ;  resides  at  Bridgeport,  111. 

CLICK,  JOHN ;  died  at  Shell  Mound.  Tenn.,  December  5, 
1863. 

GOULD,  WILLIAM  H. ;  was  on  detached  duty;  died  at 
Friendsville,  111.,  January  24,  1894. 

HARE,  THOMAS;  enrolled  January  28,  1864;  transferred 
to  2ist  Illinois;  resides  at  Cards  Point,  111. 

HALLOCK,  JOHN ;  resides  at  Harrisburg.  111. 

HIGGINS,  JOHN ;  died  at  Olney,  111.,  in  1870. 


COMPANY  C.  327 

HAMMAKER,  JOHN ;  discharged  April  6,  1863 ;  resides 
at  Olney,  111. 

HART,  JOHN  W. ;  discharged  June  18,  1863;  said  to  re- 
side at  Grayville,  111. 

HILL  AARON;  died  in  Andersonville  prison  September 
15,  1864;  grave  No.  8,830. 

HINEBAUGH,  JACOB;  died  at  Bridgeport,  111. 

HOWELL,  JASPER ;  discharged  May  7,  1863 ;  resides  at 
Sherman,  Tex. 

KRONEMILLER,  JACOB  ;  resides  at  Sumner,  111. 

LINDSEY,  BENJAMIN;  died  at  Triune,  Tenn.,  June  22, 
1863. 

LITHERLAND,  GEORGE  W. ;  resides  at  Tell  City,  Ind. 

LITHERLAND,  WILLIAM  J. ;  died  since  muster  out. 

MARKMAN,  WILLIAM ;  resides  at  Olney,  111. 

MARKMAN,  CHRISTIAN ;  died  at  West  Salem,  111.,  in 
1892. 

MEYERS,  GEORGE;  resides  near  Olney,  111. 

MILLER,  JAMES  W. ;  resides  at  Bridgeport,  111. 

MILLER,  MOSES  J. ;  discharged  June  18,  1863  ;  is  a  farm- 
er ;  resides  three  miles  southwest  of  Carmi,  111. 

MILLER,  WILLIAM  I. ;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  January 
24,  1863. 

MULL,  RICHARD;  died  at  Richmond,  Ky.,  January  4, 
1863. 

NUMBY,  JOHN;  enrolled  January  28,  1864;  transferred 
to  2ist  Illinois;  died  in  Texas  since  muster  out. 

NUNLEY,  ABSALOM ;   died  since  muster  out,  in  Texas. 

PETERS,  NICHOLAS ;  resides  at  Mt.  Carmel,  111. 

PICKERING,  JOSEPH  N. ;  is  a  cooper  and  resides  at  No. 
311  Depot  Street,  Vincennes,  Ind. 

PIXLEY,  EDWARD ;  born  and  reared  on  a  farm  in  Wa- 
bash  County,  111.  He  enlisted  at  the  organization  of  the  com- 
pany, and  was  with  his  company  in  all  its  service,  except  a 
short  time  that  he  was  absent  on  special  duty.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  he  came  home  and  went  to  farming,  and  has  made 
a  success  in  life,  and  is  a  highly  respected  citizen.  His  resi- 
dence is  Friendsville,  111. 


328  COMPANY  C. 

PIXLEY,  ISAAC;  enrolled  March  15,  1865;  transferred 
to  2ist  Illinois;  reported  dead. 

POSEY,  LANE  W. ;  discharged  July  18,  1863  ;  died  at  Mt. 
Carmel,  111.,  in  1864. 

PRICE,  GEORGE  B. ;  was  mustered  out  May  12,  1865,  on 
account  of  wounds ;  died  at  Bridgeport,  111. 

RAMSEY,  JACOB;   died  at  Cards  Point,  111.,  in  1894. 

REEL,  DAVID  S. ;  died  at  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  March  20,  1899. 

REIBER,  ANDREW ;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve  corps 
September  I,  1863  ;  resides  at  Allendale,  111. 

RIGG,  EDWARD  D. ;  died  at  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  in  1888. 

RIGG,  WILLIAM  V. ;  transferred  to  engineer  corps  July 
8,  1864;  reported  residing  at  Belmont,  111. 

ROSE,  JOHN  D. ;  died  at  Mt.  Carmel.  111.,  February  16, 
1900. 

ROSE,  REUBEN  G. ;  died  in  Texas. 

RUPPER,  CHRISTOPHER;  died  at  Neallyville.  111.,  in 
1899. 

SHARP,  JASPER;  resides  at  Hoodville,  111. 

SHOAF,  JOHN ;  resides  at  Olney,  111. 

SHEPARD,  ALBERT ;  was  born  and  brought  up  on  a 
farm  near  Lynn,  Wabash  County,  Ind.,  and  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany C  at  its  organization,  and  served  with  the  company 
throughout  its  service.  After  the  war  he  married  and  settled 
on  a  farm  near  his  native  place,  and  made  a  success  in  life. 
He  died  May  3,  1900,  loved  by  all  who  knew  him.  He  was 
a  Christian  in  deed,  and  his  life  was  an  open  book.  He  was 
an  active  worker  in  the  church  and  Sunday  school. 

STONE,  THOMAS:  born  December  29,  1838,  on  a  farm, 
and  has  spent  all  his  life  farming.  His  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  district  school.  His  record  in  the  army  is  the 
same  as  that  of  his  company,  he  having  been  with  it  in  all 
its  service.  He  had  his  gun  shot  in  two,  and  was  wounded 
in  the  right  arm ;  he  received  a  slight  wound  in  the  face  at 
the  battle  of  Chickamauga  ;  he  was  also  wounded  in  the  face 
at  Resaca,  Ga.,  and  was  knocked  down  in  the  battle  of  Nash- 
ville, together  with  nine  others,  by  the  explosion  of  a  shell. 
Jn  all  his  service  he  was  never  on  extra  dutv  or  under  arrest. 


COMPANY  C.  329 

Since  the  war  Comrade  Stone  has  resided  on  his  splendid 
farm  four  miles  west  of  Mt.  Carniel,  111.,  where  he  has  taken 
an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  community.  He  has 
been  especially  active  in  the  Grand  Army,  and  in  matters  for 
the  betterment  of  his  comrades. 

TAYLOR,  JAMES  R. ;  enrolled  March  15,  1865;  trans- 
ferred to  2  ist  Illinois  ;  resides  at  Bridgeport,  111. 

TURNER,  GILBERT  H. ;  was  born  in  1844,  in  Ohio,  and 
moved  to  Mt.  Carmel,  111.,  in  1851.  He  enlisted  in  Company 
C  at  its  organization  and  served  the  full  time  of  the  regiment. 
He  went  in  as  a  private  and  is  thankful  that  he  came  out 
the  same.  He  was  an  efficient  soldier,  and  has  every  reason  to 
be  proud  of  his  service.  He  married  in  1867,  and  removed 
to  Neosho  Falls,  Kan.,  in  1872,  where  he  took  up  a  home- 
stead. Later  he  removed  to  Greenfield,  Mo.,  where  he  now 
resides  on  a  farm. 

WHITE,  FRANKLIN  L. ;  discharged  April  25,  1863;  re- 
ported dead. 

WILEY,  JAMES ;  reported  dead. 

WOOD,  NILES  A. ;  died  at  Lexington,  Kan.,  November 
23,  1862. 

WRIGHT,  DAVID  M. ;  discharged  April  23,  1863 ;  died  at 
Hutchison,  Kan.,  June  20,  1898. 


COMPANY  D. 


COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

STEPHEN  M.  HUCKSTEP,  Captain,  was  a  prominent 
minister,  and  member  of  the  Central  Illinois  conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  at  the  time  of  his  enlistment. 
His  religion  was  of  the  type  that  carried  with  it  the  love  of 
country  in  the  highest  degree.  When  his  country  was  in  dis- 
tress he  heard  its  call,  and  promptly  responded  at  the  head  of 
a  company  of  men,  which  became  Company  D  of  the  H5th. 
Captain  Huckstep  was  equally  at  home  in  the  duty  of  a  soldier 
as  in  that  of  a  minister,  and  was  most  highly  respected  by  all 
who  knew  him  for  his  faithfulness  in  every  duty.  He  was 
leading  his  company  in  the  doublequick  from  Colonel  Cloud's 
place  toward  the  Snodgrass  Hill,  soon  after  noon  on  Sunday, 
September  20,  1863,  and  when  opposite  the  McDonald  Place, 
a  ball  from  an  exploded  shell  pierced  his  thigh,  causing  a 
terrible  wound,  from  which  he  died  on  the  pth  of  December 
following.  By  the  aid  of  his  brother,  James  M.  Huckstep,  of 
the  same  company,  and  others,  he  was  placed  in  an  ambulance 
and  removed  to  Chattanooga.  He  there  remained  in  a  hos- 
pital tent,  attended  by  his  brother,  until  after  the  battle  of 
Chattanooga,  when  he  was  removed  to  the  officers'  hospital 
at  Nashville,  where  death  came  to  his  relief. 

SAMUEL  HYMER,  Brevet  Major,  the  second  captain  of 
Company  D,  was  born  in  Harrison  County,  Ind.,  on  May  17, 
1829,  and  removed  with  his  father's  family  to  Schuyler  County, 
111.,  in  1837,  where  he  resided  on  a  farm  until  he  entered  the 
service.  His  education  was  such  as  the  district  schools  af- 
forded, supplemented  by  brief  terms  in  the  Rushville  schools. 
At  the  organization  of  Company  D  he  was  chosen  second  lieu- 
tenant very  unexpectedly  to  himself,  and  on  the  resignation  of 
Lieutenant  Bridgewater,  May  28,  1863,  he  was  advanced  to  the 


COMPANY  D.  331 

first  lieutenancy,  and  on  the  death  of  Captain  Huckstep,  De- 
cember 9,  1863,  he  was  promoted  to  the  captaincy  of  his  com- 
pany. As  first  lieutenant  he  commanded  his  company  after 
the  wounding  of  Captain  Huckstep,  and  did  valiant  service 
throughout  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  During  the  siege  of 
Chattanooga  Captain  Hymer's  company  occupied  a  position 
above  Brown's  Ferry,  where  it  remained  several  weeks  with- 
out tents  and  with  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  blankets  to 
the  company,  constantly  watching  the  operations  of  the  rebels 
on  Lookout  Mountain.  Though  always  an  efficient  officer 
and  faithful  in  every  duty,  the  crowning  glory  of  Major  Hy- 
mer's service  was  the  defense  of  the  blockhouse  at  Buzzard 
Roost  Gap,  which  has  been  given  at  length  in  its  proper  place 
in  this  history.  For  this  splendid  service,  the  President  gave 
him  the  brevet  rank  of  major,  and  as  further  mark  of  distinc- 
tion Congress  conferred  upon  him  a  medal  of  honor  "for  most 
distinguished  gallantry  in  action  at  Buzzard  Roost  Gap,  Ga., 
October  13,  1864."  In  transmitting  the  award  the  secretary 
of  war  uses  the  following  language :  "This  officer,  with  only 
forty-one  men  under  his  command,  defended  and  held  a 
blockhouse  against  the  attack  of  Hood's  army  for  nearly  ten 
hours,  thus  checking  the  advance  of  the  enemy  and  insuring 
the  safety  of  the  rest  of  his  regiment,  as  well  as  that  of  the 
8th  Kentucky  Infantry,  then  stationed  at  Ringgold,  Geor- 
gia." Major  Hymer's  experience  while  a  prisoner  was  much 
the  same  as  other  Union  officers  in  similar  circumstances.  He 
was  taken  with  his  company  after  the  capture  to  Jacksonville, 
Ala.,  then  to  Selma,  then  to  Montgomery,  and  thence  to 
Macon,  Ga.  Here  five  of  them,  including  the  major,  escaped, 
but  he  was  soon  captured  and  returned  to  the  stockade.  The 
major's  experience  in  his  journeys  from  place  to  place,  and 
the  many  incidents  of  his  prison  life  would  fill  a  volume,  but 
want  cf  space  prevents  riving  them  here.  He  was  finally 
paroled  and  sent  into  our  lines  at  Wilmington,  N.  C,  and  was 
thence  taken  to  Annapolis,  Md.,  by  steamer  and  thence  taken; 
to  his  home  in  Schuyler  County,  111.,  by  railroad,  and  was; 
discharged  May  15,  1865.  In  1866  he  removed  to  Miami 
County,  Kan.,  and  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  He 


332  COMPANY  D. 

soon  took  interest  in  politics,  and  served  as  township  assessor, 
a  member  of  the  Kansas  legislature,  township  treasurer,  and 
director  of  city  schools.  In  1882  he  removed  to  La  Cygne, 
Lynn  County,  Kan.,  where  he  resides,  and  is  an  honored  cit- 
izen. For  many  years  he  has  been  a  local  preacher  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

CHRIST.  C.  BRIDGEWATER,  First  Lieutenant;  re- 
signed May  26,  1863  ;  died  about  1877. 

MICHAEL  P.  JONES,  First  Lieutenant;  was  first  ser- 
geant ;  promoted  to  second  lieutenant  May  26,  1863,  and  to 
first  lieutenant  December  9,  1863  ;  was  captured  with  the  com- 
pany at  the  blockhouse  and  shared  prison  fare  with  the  others. 
He  removed  to  Texas  and  died  about  1890. 

SERGEANTS. 

JAMES  A.  DEAL,  First  Sergeant;  promoted  from  cor- 
poral :  captured  and  suffered  with  the  others  of  his  company 
in  Southern  prisons.  After  the  war  he  removed  to  Kansas, 
living  several  years  in  Miami  County,  but  now  resides  at 
Baldwin  City. 

GEORGE  FRISBY  ;  died  in  June,  1895. 

ROBERT  STEWART;  was  prisoner  of  war;  now  resides 
at  Tecumseh,  Okla. 

ANDREW  JACOB Y  ;  was  prisoner ;  now  resides  at  Fred- 
erick, 111. 

GEORGE  GILLETTE ;  killed  at  Chickamauga  September 
20,  1863. 

ALVA  BOND  ;  now  resides  at  Beardstown,  111. 

CORPORALS. 

DANIEL  W.  SMITH  ;  died  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  May  2, 
1863. 

FRANCIS  BANKS;  discharged  May  n,  1863;  not  since 
heard  from. 

CHARLES  BARKER;  wounded  and  prisoner;  died  in 
Kansas. 

PERRY  P.  TOLLE  ;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve  corps 
July  20,  1864;  resides  at  Rushville,  111. 

GARRET  LANE ;  not  heard  from. 


MICHAEL  DACE,  COMPANY  D. 

STEWART  WELKER,  COMPANY  D.  G.  W.  ELLER,  COMPANY  F. 

JOHN  WREN,  COMPANY  D. 


COMPANY   D.  333 

GEORGE  MASTERSON ;  died  in  Missouri  in  1889. 

OVERTON  PARK  ;  now  resides  at  Rushville,  111. 

ANDREW  JACKSON ;  died  at  Huntsville,  Ala.,  February 
i,  1895. 

JAMES  THOMPSON ;  resides  La  Cygne,  Kan. 

RICHARD  SCOTT ;  died  at  Rushville,  111.,  1895. 

PATMAN  ZIMMERMAN;  was  prisoner:  supposed  to  be 
at  Louella,  Okla. 

MUSICIAN. 

WILLIAM  RHODES;  died  in  1882  at  Keokuk,  Iowa. 

WAGONER. 
JAMES  BUCKLES ;  resides  at  Rushville,  111. 

PRIVATES. 

BARKER,  ANDREW ;  resides  at  Morrell,  Kan. 

BECHTOHL,  SQUIRE;  was  a  prisoner  of  war;  mustered 
out  July  i,  1865;  died  at  Rushville,  111. 

BENNETT,  WILLIAM  R. ;  resides  at  Winfield,  Kan. 

BOWLING,  WILLIAM;  died  at  Danville,  Ky..  January 
25,  1863. 

BOWMAN,  WILLIAM  ;  resides  at  Rushville,  111. 

BOYD,  JOSEPH  E. ;  killed  at  Buzzard  Roost,  October 
13,  1864. 

BRIDGEWATER,  ANDREW  ;  died  at  Jeffersonville,  Ind., 
February  8,  1865. 

BRIDGEWATER,  ELIAS;  died  at  Cleveland,  Tenn., 
March  10,  1864. 

BRYANT,  JAMES  M. ;  was  a  prisoner  of  war;  mustered 
out  July  i,  1865  :  resides  at  Elreno,  Okla. 

BRYANT,  JOHN;  discharged  February  7.  1863;  died  at 
Pleasant  View,  111. 

BUCKLES,  ELISHA;  died  at  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  Sep- 
tember 29,  1864. 

BYERS,  MONROE;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  January  22, 
1863. 

CAMPBELL,  GEORGE  W. ;  said  to  reside  at  Rushville, 
[11. 


334  COMPANY   D. 

COKENOUR,  ALFRED;  discharged  October  24,  1863; 
heard  from  in  1899  at  some  place  in  Kansas. 

COLLISTER,  JOSEPH  ;  was  a  prisoner  of  war  ;  mustered 
out  July  i,  1865;  was  drowned  in  Illinois  River. 

COLVIN,  GEORGE  W.  ;  died  at  Bowling  Green,  111., 
April,  1890. 

CROSS,  GEORGE  W. ;  resides  at  Layton,  111. 

DACE,  EDWIN  W. ;  resides  at  Rushville,  111. 

DACE,  MICHAEL;  was  born  in  Rich  Woods,  Mo.,  in 
1839,  and  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  until  18  years  of  age. 
After  that  he  served  an  apprenticeship  as  a  wagon  maker.  In 
August,  1860,  he  came  to  Rushville,  111.,  for  two  years.  He 
enlisted  in  Company  D  at  its  organization  and  served  as  a 
private  until  the  final  muster  out  in  June,  1865.  His  life  as  a 
soldier  was  characterized  by  coolness  and  bravery,  and  noth- 
ing pleases  him  more  now  than  to  relate  to  his  children,  and 
others,  those  deeds  of  valor  that  were  enacted  on  the  field  or 
in  camp  during  the  time  of  his  service.  After  his  discharge 
he  returned  to  Rushville,  and  again  followed  farming  for  more 
than  twelve  years.  Being  disabled  by  rheumatism,  which  pre- 
vented him  from  further  following  that  occupation,  he  took 
up  the  carpenter's  trade  and  has  followed  it  ever  since.  He 
now  resides  at  Rushville.  He  has  always  been  faithful  to  His 
country,  and  is  a  staunch  Republican. 

DEAL,  STRATHEARN;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  January 
27,  1863. 

DIXON,  WILLIAM;  killed  at  Buzzard  Roost,  October 
13.  1864. 

DUPUY,  DANIEL  T. ;  died  at  Pleasantview,  111. 

DUPUY,  FRANCIS  M. ;  killed  at  Chickamauga,  Septem- 
ber 20,  1863. 

DUPUY,  JAMES  C. ;  was  a  prisoner  of  war;  resides  at 
Pleasantview,  111. 

EADS,  SAMUEL ;  died  at  Rushville,  111. 

EVERHART,  SAMUEL;  discharged  April  30,  1863;  died 
at  Rushviile,  111.,  March  27,  1895. 

FA  CAN,  PATRICK ;  died  at  Frederick,  111.,  in  June,  1884. 

GOREE,  MARTIN;  died  in  California. 


COMPANY   D.  335 

GREGORY,  GEORGE ;  resides  at  Rushville,  111. 

HARLOW,  WILLIAM ;  born  near  Mammoth  Cave,  Ky., 
in  1827,  of  Scotch  and  German  ancestry,  his  grandfather,  Sher- 
wood Harlow,  having  been  a  soldier  in  the  war  for  Independ- 
ence. He  was  a  brave  soldier,  ever  ready  for  duty,  yet  of 
quiet  disposition,  faithful  to  his  friends  and  generous  to  his 
foes.  He  was  severely  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga 
and  was  again  badly  wounded  at  the  Blockhouse  October  13, 
1864,  from  which  he  died  in  the  hospital  at  Jeffersonville,  Ind., 
January  2,  1865.  He  was  twice  married,  two  children  of  the 
last  marriage,  Mrs.  William  Louderback  of  Sheldon's  Grove, 
111.,  and  Mrs.  Jesse  Buck,  of  Beardstown,  111.,  still  survive  and 
are  proud  of  their  father's  army  record. 

HERRON,  WILLIAM  ;  resides  at  Englewood,  Mo. 

HOWELL,  THOMAS  S. ;  enlisted  March  17,  1865;  trans- 
ferred to  2ist  Illinois;  died  June  n,  1896. 

HUCKSTER,  JAMES  M. ;  a  brother  to  Captain  Huckstep  ; 
was  mustered  out  May  29,  1865.  He  is  a  dentist  by  profes- 
sion and  resides  at  Jacksonville,  111. 

ISHAM,  FRANCIS  D. ;  at  Soldiers  Home,  Quincy,  111. 

JACKSON,  JESSE;  enlisted  March  n,  1864;  transferred 
to  2ist  Illinois;  supposed  to  reside  at  Oak  Arbor,  Wash. 

JACKSON,  JOHN  D. ;  resides  at  Neodesha,  Kan. 

JACOBY,  CHRISTOPHER ;  resides  at  Frederick,  111. 

JONES,  NATHAN;  killed  at  Buzzard  Roost,  October  13, 
1864. 

JULIAN,  MILTON  P. ;  was  a  prisoner  of  war;  discharged 
July  19,  1865  ;  resides  at  Coolidge,  Kan. 

LAMASTER,  CHARLES ;  was  a  prisoner  of  war ;  mus- 
tered out  July  i,  1865;  died  at  Frederick,  111.,  September  8, 
1898. 

LENOVER,  ALEXANDER;  discharged  March  24,  1863; 
resides  at  Rushville,  111. 

LENT,  JEREMIAH  ;  discharged  December  24,  1863  ;  died 
since  muster  out. 

LOE,  FIELDEN;  killed  at  Buzzard  Roost,  October  13, 
1864. 


336  COMPANY   D. 

MILLER,  HENRY;  transferred  to  engineer  corps  August 
15,  1864;  reported  dead. 

MONNETT,  WILLIAM  ;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  February 
15,  1863. 

MOORELAND,  JOHN ;  was  a  prisoner  of  war;  mustered 
out  July  i,  1865 ;  resides  at  Rushville,  111. 

MUCK,  HUMPHREY;  was  wounded;  mustered  May  18, 
1865;  reported  dead. 

MYERS,  DANIEL;  discharged  April  12,  1863:  died  at 
Rushville,  111.,  in  1866. 

NEWELL,  JAMES;  discharged  April  20,  1864;  died  at 
Rushville,  111.,  in  1865. 

PARISH,  JOHN;  killed  at  Buzzard  Roost,  October  13, 
1864. 

PICKENPAU,  JOHN;  transferred  to  engineer  corps 
August  15,  1864:  resides  at  Wayland,  111. 

ROBERTSON,  JAMES  W. ;  was  prisoner ;  now  resides  at 
Rushville,  111. 

ROOT,  JACOB ;  resides  at  Kilburn,  111. 

RUSSELL,   ISAIAH;   reported  dead. 

SMEDLEY,  DAVID  L. ;  discharged  April  12,  1863;  re- 
sides at  Beardstown,  111. 

SMEDLEY,  JOHN  M. ;  killed  at  Chickamauga,  September 
20,  1863. 

SMEDLEY,  THOMAS  I. ;  was  prisoner  of  war ;  mustered 
out  July  i,  1865  ;  resides  at  Frederick,  111. 

SMEDLEY,  WILLIAM  A.  ;died  at  Chattanooga,  Tenn., 
October  15,  1863,  of  wounds  received  at  Chickamauga. 

STARK,  JOHN;  discharged  March  7,  1863;  residence  un- 
known, possibly  Beardstown,  111. 

STEPHENS,  ELI  AS;  enlisted  March  11,  1864;  was  a  pris- 
oner of  war;  mustered  out  July  i,  1865;  last  heard  from  at 
Genda  Springs  or  Bitter  Creek,  Kan. 

STONEKING,  JACOB;  discharged  October  7,  1864;  re- 
ported to  have  died  in  Missouri. 

STONEKING,  W.  P.;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve 
corps  September  i,  1863;  reported  to  have  died  at  Camp 
Chase,  Ohio. 


COMPANY   D.  337 

SMITH,  JOHN  S, ;  died  in  Andersonville  prison  February 
i,  1865;  grave  No.  12,566. 

STEPHENS,  JOHN  M. ;  was  a  prisoner  of  war;  mustered 
out  July  i,  1865;  reported  dead. 

TERRELL,  ANDREW  J. ;  was  a  prisoner  of  war ;  mus- 
tered out  July  i,  1865;  resides  at  Beardstown,  111. 

TYSON,  WILLIAM;  born  April  2,  1841,  in  Bainbridge 
Township,  Schuyler  County,  111.  His  early  life  was  spent  on 
the  home  farm,  attending  the  common  country  schools  of  that 
vicinity,  where  he  received  an  education  sufficient  to  enable 
him  to  teach  several  schools.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Missouri,  where  he  lived  on  a 
farm  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War.  On  the  2/th 
day  of  June,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States  service  in 
Company  D,  Cass  County  Regiment  of  Cavalry,  Missouri 
Home  Guard  Volunteers,  for  "three  years  or  during  the  war;" 
and  was  discharged  at  Harrisonville,  Mo.,  February  28,  1862, 
by  reason  of  General  Order  No.  25.  During  this  service  he 
participated  in  several  skirmishes,  but  no  regular  battles.  He 
was  one  of  the  soldiers  who  helped  to  guard  the  first  wagon 
train  of  provisions  to  Lyon's  army  after  the  battle  of  Wilson's 
Creek,  Mo.  Soon  after  his  discharge  he  started  to  Illinois 
and  was  obliged  to  cross  the  entire  state  at  a  very  dangerous 
time  of  the  war.  On  August  12,  1862,  he  re-enlisted  in  the 
army  as  a  private  in  Company  D,  H5th  Illinois.  He  was  with 
his  company  and  regiment  all  of  the  time  and  did  his  full  share 
of  marching  and  fighting,  the  scouting  and  picketing,  the 
digging  and  suffering,  as  well  as  the  foraging  and  picnicing. 
He  participated  in  the  battle  of  Franklin  on  April  10,  1863. 
He  was  in  Rosecrans'  campaign  from  Murfreesboro  to  Tulla- 
homa  from  June  23  to  June  30,  1863 ;  in  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga,  September  18,  19  and  20,  1863,  and  in  the  Dalton  raid 
under  General  Palmer  in  February,  1864.  He  was  in  the 
charge  on  Tunnel  Hill,  May  7,  1864,  and  in  the  battle  of  Re- 
saca,  May  15  and  16,  1864.  He  was  one  of  that  brave  little 
band  of  forty-two  men  who  formed  Company  D  under  Captain 
Hymer's  command,  and  who  held  their  own  against  such  fear- 


338  COMPANY   D. 

ful  odds  at  Buzzard  Roost  Gap,  and  was  there  captured  with 
them  October  13,  1864. 

TEEPLE,  JACKSON ;  discharged  April  20,  1863 ;  died  at 
Rushville,  111.,  in  1883. 

THOMAS,  JAMES  R. ;  resides  at  Woodburn,  Oregon. 

TYSON,  GEORGE  W. ;  died  at  Resaca,  Ga.,  May  21,  1864, 
of  wounds  received  in  battle  at  that  place. 

UNDERHILL,  ANSON  W. ;  was  a  prisoner  of  war  ;  mus- 
tered out  July  i,  1865 ;  died  in  Kansas. 

UNDERHILL,  WILLIAM  B.;  residence  at  Rushville, 
111. 

WELKER,  STEWART;  postmaster  of  the  regiment 
throughout  its  service.  He  is  now  one  of  the  proprietors  of 
the  Welker  Meat  Co.,  and  resides  at  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa. 
His  address  is  No.  307  Main  Street. 

WREN,  JOHN;  born  in  Schuyler  County,  111.,  in  1835, 
where  he  received  the  common  school  education.  He  en- 
listed in  Company  D  at  its  organization,  and  served  faithfully 
till  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  loaned  to  Company  H  and 
was  made  a  corporal.  He  was  a  good  soldier  and  naturally 
takes  pride  in  his  army  record.  Since  the  war  he  conducted 
a  ferry  on  the  Illinois  River  till  1885.  After  that  he  carried 
on  a  farm.  He  was  married  in  1887  to  Mrs.  Mahala  Herm 
and  now  lives  in  a  comfortable  home  at  Beardstown,  111.  He 
is  always  glad  to  meet  his  army  comrades  and  is  a  frequent 
visitor  at  the  reunions. 


COMPANY  E. 


COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

JOHN  M.  LANE,  Captain,  was  born  October  26,  1826,  in 
Madison  County,  Ohio.  His  father,  Rev.  Joseph  Lane,  was 
a  teacher  and  local  preacher  of  the  Methodist  Church.  At 
nineteen,  Captain  Lane  came  to  Illinois  and  settled  near  Dan- 
ville. He  was  educated  in  the  Danville  Seminary  and  later 
studied  for  the  ministry,  being  licensed  to  preach  in  1853. 
He  became  a  member  of  the  Illinois  conference  and  after 
filling  several  churches,  was  pastor  at  Macon,  111.,  when  Com- 
pany E  was  formed,  of  which  he  was  unanimously  elected 
captain.  He  maintained  his  Christian  character  in  the  army, 
and  frequently  preached  to  the  regiment  and  in  the  churches 
where  it  was  stationed.  He  resigned  May  n,  1863,  because 
of  ill  health.  When  able  to  do  so,  he  resumed  his  position  in 
the  conference,  rendering  efficient  service  until  his  death, 
August  7,  1867,  which  occurred  at  Jacksonville,  111.,  where  he 
was  buried  in  Diamond  Grove  Cemetery.  His  widow  and  two 
children,  William  J.  and  Margaret,  now  reside  in  Jacksonville. 

JAMES  A.  WHITAKER,  Captain;  promoted  from  ser- 
geant to  first  lieutenant  March  25,  1863,  and  to  the  captaincy 
May  n,  1863.  On  being  mustered  out  he  returned  to  Macon, 
111.,  where  he  died  the  following  year. 

DAVID  S.  MOFFITT,  First  Lieutenant;  resigned  March 
25,  1863;  and  returned  to  his  farm  in  Macon  County,  111., 
where  he  died  a  few  years  later. 

JESSE  F.  HEDGES,  First  Lieutenant ;  promoted  from  first 
sergeant  to  second  lieutenant  February  28,  1863.  and  to  first 
lieutenant  May  n,  1863.  He  commanded  Company  D  from 
October  15,  1864,  till  mustered  out.  After  returning  home 
he  removed  to  Colorado  and  died  at  Salina  in  that  state  April 
3,  1876. 


340  COMPANY   E. 

ADAM  C.  ALLINSON,  Second  Lieutenant;  resigned 
February  28,  1863,  because  of  ill  health.  He  was  a  native  of 
Illinois,  of  English  parentage,  and  at  the  organization  of  Com- 
pany E  was  the  manager  of  a  farm  of  1,500  acres  owned  by 
himself  and  brothers,  two  miles  west  of  Macon.  On  returning 
from  the  army  he  resumed  his  place  on  the  farm.  A  few 
years  later  he  removed  to  Missouri  and  engaged  in  business. 
He  now  resides  on  a  small  farm  at  Table  Rock,  Neb. 

ISAAC  H.  C.  ROYSE,  Second  Lieutenant;  was  born  at 
Kingwood,  W.  Va.,  November  23,  1838,  of  old  pioneer  New 
England  stock.  Although  his  father,  John  Royse,  long  the 
county  surveyor  of  Preston  County,  W.  Va.,  was  a  native  of 
Virginia,  born  near  Winchester,  December  19,  1795,  his  grand- 
father, Moses  Royse,  was  a  native  of  New  York,  and  his  great- 
grandfather, Aaron  Royse,  born  January  3,  1734,  was  a  native 
of  Connecticut,  as  was  his  father,  Moses  Royse,  who  was  born 
in  the  year  1700.  New  England  genealogy  and  tradition  trace 
the  Royse  family  back  to  Robert  Royse,  who  came  from  Eng- 
land to  Boston  in  1634.  Aaron  Royse  removed  with  his 
parents  to  the  interior  of  New  York  when  he  was  but  a  youth 
and  when  that  region  was  yet  the  hunting  ground  of  many 
Indians,  and  was  brought  up  to  the  business  of  Indian  trading 
and  Indian  fighting.  Naturally  he  became  a  soldier  in  the 
Colonial  wars,  and  was  in  Col.  George  Washington's  com- 
mand at  Braddock's  defeat  near  the  present  city  of  Pittsburgh, 
July  9,  1755,  being  one  of  the  few  who  escaped.  Being  a  friend 
and  associate  of  Washington,  and  residing  near  him  at  Alex- 
andria, Va.,  after  1775,  it  is  quite  probable  that  he  was  in  the 
Revolutionary  War,  though  certain  proof  of  it  has  not  been 
found,  because  of  the  destruction  of  the  Virginia  military 
records  at  the  burning  of  the  State  Capitol. 

Lieutenant  Royse  had  no  school  privileges  until  he  removed 
with  his  father's  family  to  Washington  County,  Ohio,  when 
he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  after  that  only  such  as  could 
be  obtained  in  the  country  schools  in  the  brief  winter  terms 
when  the  weather  would  not  permit  work  on  the  farm.  In  that 
way,  supplemented  by  study  at  night  by  the  light  of  pine  knot 
fires,  he  was  enabled  to  pass  the  examination  for  a  teacher's 


COMPANY   E.  341 

license  and  taught  one  term  of  school  in  the  winter  of  1859-60. 
Then  followed  a  brief  flat-boat  experience,  in  a  cruise  of  a 
trading  boat  from  Zanesville,  Ohio,  to  Madison,  Ind.,  in  the 
spring  of  1860,  and  the  summer  of  that  year  at  hard  work  on 
the  farm  of  Isaac  Goodwin  near  Utica,  Ind.  In  October,  1860, 
he  removed  to  Macon,  111.,  where  he  spent  some  time  as  clerk 
in  his  brother's  store.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  recruit- 
ing of  Company  E  and  was  the  first  to  enter  his  name  on  its 
rolls.  He  served  as  musician  a  short  time,  then  as  private, 
then  as  sergeant,  and  on  May  n,  1863,  was  promoted  to  the 
second  lieutenancy.  He  had  made  the  company  muster  rolls 
and  kept  the  company  books  from  the  beginning  and  con- 
tinued to  do  so  until  the  end.  He  commanded  his  company 
some  time  at  Normandy,  Tenn.,  in  August,  1863,  during  the 
captain's  illness,  as  well  as  at  several  other  times,  and  was  in 
command  of  it  at  the  final  muster  out.  He  had  command  of 
Company  F  and  a  section  of  artillery  stationed  in  the  fort 
overlooking  and  guarding  the  bridge  over  the  Oostanaula 
River  at  Resaca,  Ga.,  for  nearly  two  months  after  the  battle 
at  that  place.  He  served  as  adjutant  and  as  quartermaster  in 
the  absence  of  those  officers,  and  was  post  adjutant  while  sta- 
tioned at  Shell  Mound.  In  the  spring  of  1865  he  served  sev- 
eral weeks  as  aide-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  General  Moore. 
While  never  rising  higher  in  rank  than  second  lieutenant,  for 
want  of  a  vacancy,  he  had  a  greater  variety  of  service  than  falls 
to  the  lot  of  most  officers  in  the  same  length  of  service.  He 
was  with  his  regiment  in  all  its  service  excepting  six  weeks  in 
hospital  and  on  leave  because  of  severe  wounds  received  at 
Chickamauga  and  his  brief  service  on  the  brigade  staff,  and 
participated  in  all  its  battles. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  spent  one  year  at  Pleasant  Hill, 
Mo.,  in  the  real  estate  business,  at  the  same  time  carrying  on 
a  livery  business.  He  then  spent  two  years  in  the  University 
of  Michigan,  graduating  from  the  law  department  in  1868. 
He  practiced  his  profession  one  year  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and 
then  removed  to  Paola,  Kan.,  where  he  practiced  law  five 
years,  having  part  in  some  of  the  most  important  litigations 
then  pending  in  that  state,  both  in  State  and  Federal  Courts. 


342  COMPANY   E. 

In  1874  he  removed  to  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  where  he  continued 
the  active  practice  of  his  profession  until  within  the  last  five 
years.  In  1890  he  took  a  leading  part  in  organizing 
the  Mechanics'  Building  Loan  &  Savings  Association  of  Terre 
Haute,  of  which  he  has  ever  since  been  president,  and  which 
has  grown  under  his  management  to  be  an  important  finan- 
cial institution,  much  in  the  nature  of  a  savings  bank  in  its 
methods  of  business.  In  1894  he  organized  the  Terre  Haute 
Trust  Company,  of  which  he  has  since  been  president,  and  to 
which  he  is  now  devoting  most  of  his  time.  After  the  or- 
ganization of  the  trust  company  his  former  business  was  or- 
ganized into  a  corporation  and  continued  under  the  name  of 
the  I.  H.  C.  Royse  Company,  he  being  its  president  and  giving 
a  little  time  to  its  management,  the  principal  work  being  done 
by  others. 

A  Republican  in  politics  because  of  the  party's  principles, 
and  always  taking  a  lively  interest  in  politics  from  the  stand- 
point of  a  citizen.  Lieutenant  Royse  has  never  sought  office, 
and  the  only  official  positions  held  by  him  have  been  those  of 
county  attorney  for  an  unexpired  term  in  Kansas,  and  the 
same  office  one  year  in  Vigo  County,  Ind.,  and  one  term  of 
four  years  as  trustee  of  the  Indiana  State  Normal  School,  all 
by  appointment.  He  has  been  active  in  church  and  Sunday 
school  work  ever  since  his  return  from  the  army,  being  a 
Methodist.  He  has  served  as  steward  and  trustee  of  his 
church  nearly  all  that  time,  qnd  was  several  years  superin- 
tendent of  its  Sunday  school.  He  has  also  been  active  in 
State  Sunday  school  work,  having  served  two  terms  as  presi- 
dent of  the  State  association.  Since  1890  he  has  taken  an 
active  part  in  the  reform  of  building  and  loan  association 
methods,  being  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  United  States 
League  of  Local  Building  and  Loan  Associations,  of  which 
he  was  vice-president  the  first  two  terms.  He  is  now  president 
of  the  Indiana  State  League  of  Local  Building  and  Loan  As- 
sociations. 

He  was  married  soon  after  his  graduation  in  1868  to  Miss 
Sarah  Jackson  of  Ann  Arbor,  Mich.,  of  which  union  three 
children  are  living:  Minnie  L.,  the  wife  of  Guy  M.  Walker, 


SERGT.  R.  G.  M1DDLETON.  JAMES  T.  KING. 

LIEUT.  DAVID  REED,  AS  PRIVATE.  SERGT.  ALFRED  SHIVELY. 

ALL  OF  COMPANY  F. 


COMPANY   E.  343 

an  attorney  of  New  York;  Clarence  A.,  a  lawyer  and  teacher 
in  the  Law  Department  of  Denver  University,  Denver,  Col. ; 
and  Herbert  E.,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  I.  H.  C.  Royse 
Company,  residing  at  home  with  his  parents  at  No.  507  North 
Seventh  Street,  Terre  Haute,  Ind.  He  is  a  member  of  the  G. 
A.  R.  and  the  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  and  takes 
an  active  interest  in  all  matters  affecting  the  welfare  of  his 
comrades. 

SERGEANTS. 

JAMES  M.  MARTIN,  First  Sergeant,  was  an  efficient  offi- 
cer, always  at  his  post  of  duty,  was  with  his  company  in  all 
its  service.  The  commissioned  officers  of  his  company  being 
on  other  duty  or  absent,  he  commanded  the  company  in  the 
battle  of  Nashville.  Some  time  after  the  war  he  removed  to 
Kansas,  locating  at  Olathe.  His  health  failing  he  accepted  a 
place  in  the  National  Military  Home  near  Leavenworth,  Kan., 
where  he  may  now  be  found. 

JAMES  SLOAN ;  died  in  Indian  Territory  in  1879. 

JAMES  M.  POPE;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  December  31, 
1862. 

EDEN  T.  CLEMENTS ;  born  in  Greencastle,  Ind.,  January 
8,  1834.  His  first  vote  was  for  John  C.  Fremont  for  President. 
He  moved  to  Macon  County,  111.,  in  1860,  settling  on  a  farm 
near  Blue  Mound.  He  enlisted  as  a  private,  was  soon  pro- 
moted to  corporal,  and  afterwards  to  sergeant,  and  served  the 
full  term,  being  mustered  out  with  the  regiment.  Since  the 
war  he  has  resided  near  Blue  Mound,  111.,  and  has  held  many 
offices,  being  postmaster  20  years,  police  judge  four  years, 
village  clerk  two  years,  township  assessor  four  years.  He  is 
now  census  enumerator  for  that  district,  and  resides  at  Blue 
Mound. 

GEORGE  N.  JUNKEN ;  mortally  wounded  and  left  on  the 
field  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 

FREDERICK  S.  GILHOUSEN ;  born  in  Indiana  County, 
Pa.,  August  n,  1834.  He  spent  his  boyhood  on  the  farm, 
attending  the  country  schools  a  few  brief  terms  at  intervals 
until  his  seventeeth  year,  when  he  had  his  first  experience  as  a 


344  COMPANY   E. 

school  teacher.  Between  farming,  lumbering,  study  and  teach- 
ing he  passed  a  varied  life  until  the  Civil  War.  He  enlisted  at 
the  organization  of  Company  E,  August  16,  1862,  and  served 
in  the  most  faithful  manner  with  his  company  until  it  was  mus- 
tered out  in  1865.  His  efficient  service  was  recognized  in  his 
promotion  to  the  position  of  sergeant.  Every  one  in  the  com- 
pany appreciated  Fred  Gilhousen's  conscientious  devotion  to 
duty.  He  was  always  ready  for  every  service,  and  was  never 
known  to  shirk  any  task,  however  difficult.  He  was  with  his 
company  and  did  valiant  service  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga, 
being  severely  wounded  by  a  musket  ball,  toward  the  close 
of  the  battle.  On  being  mustered  out  he  returneed  to  Kahoka, 
Mo.,  and  resumed  the  profession  of  school  teaching.  In  1867 
he  entered  the  ministry  in  the  North  Missouri  conference 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  relation  he  did 
efficient  service  until  1875,  when  failing  health  obliged  him  to 
retire  from  the  work.  Since  then  he  has  resided  with  his  fam- 
ily at  Kahoka,  Mo.,  leading,  as  he  says,  an  uneventful  life.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Prohibitionist  and  has  been  honored  with  the 
nomination  of  his  party  for  the  position  of  judge  of  the  court 
in  his  county,  but  of  course 'without  hope  of  election. 

DANIEL  W.  ALLINSON,  a  brother  of  Lieutenant  Allin- 
son,  was  a  native  of  Illinois,  a  son  of  a  prosperous  farmer- 
preacher,  who  resided  two  miles  west  of  Macon.  He  made  the 
best  of  his  opportunities  and  acquired  a  good  common  school 
education.  He  enlisted  in  Company  E  at  its  qrganization,  and 
shared  all  its  service  till  the  muster  out,  and  is  deserving  of 
the  highest  commendation  for  gallant  conduct  as  a  soldier. 
At  the  close  of  his  service  he  returned  to  his  farm  near  Macon. 
Some  years  later  he  went  into  the  drug  business  at  Macon, 
which  he  successfully  conducted  ten  years,  being  postmaster 
of  the  town  six  years  of  the  time.  His  health  failing,  he  sought 
relief  on  the  plains  of  South  Dakota,  where  he  perfected  a 
claim  to  320  acres  of  land.  The  climate  being  too  severe,  he 
removed  to  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  in  1887,  and  later  to  Nordhoff, 
Cal.,  where  he  resided  and  carried  on  a  fruit  farm,  till  he  an- 
swered the  final  roll  call  November  21,  1896.  leaving  a  widow 
and  four  children,  two  boys  and  two  girls.  Mrs.  Allinson  and 


COMPANY   E.  345 

three  of  her  children  now  reside  at  La  Delle,  S.  D.,  a  daughter 
having  died  soon  after  her  father. 

HYMAN  L.  HOUSLEY;  wounded  and  captured  in  the 
battle  of  Chickamauga  and  spent  a  long  term  in  Southern 
prisons ;  now  resides  at  Hepler,  Kan. 

JOSEPH  Q.  ADAMS ;  was  a  local  preacher  in  the  Metho- 
dist Church  and  a  faithful  soldier ;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.', 
March  15,  1863. 

CORPORALS. 

BENJAMIN  RAMSEY;  died  at  Danville,  Ky,  January 
17,  1863. 

MICHAEL  RAMSEY ;  died  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  November 
n,  1862. 

RANDALL  R.  ADAMS;  died  at  Moweaqua,  111.,  July  3, 
1897. 

JOHN  T.  STARK ;  died  in  Iowa  in  1877. 

CHARLES  M.  BREEDEN  was  a  genial  gentleman,  a.good 
soldier,  and  after  he  left  the  army  an  efficient  business  man, 
being  a  valued  employe  of  Deer,  Mansur  &  Co.,  in  St.  Louis, 
Mo.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the  management  of  the  cele- 
brated St.  Louis  fairs  for  many  years.  He  died  in  St.  Louis, 
July  28,  1899,  and  was  buried  by  his  comrades  in  the  cemetery 
at  Decatur,  111. 

JOHN  A.  BARNES ;  engaged  in  farming  at  Boody,  111.,  for 
many  years ;  now  living  on  a  farm  near  Storm  Lake,  Iowa. 

PHILIP  CLEMENTS ;  born  in  Boone  County,  Ind.,  Sep- 
tember 9,  1844,  and  moved  with  his  parents  to  Illinois  in  1849, 
settling  near  Mt.  Auburn,  111.  He  removed  to  Macon  County 
in  1857,  ancl  enlisted  in  Company  E  at  its  organization.  He 
was  an  efficient  soldier  and  shared  in  all  the  honors  of  his 
company  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  being  mustered  out 
in  June,  1865.  He  was  one  of  the  13  survivors  of  Company 
E  who  stacked  arms  at  the  close  of  the  battle  of  Chickamauga, 
after  the  deadly  work  on  Snodgrass  Hill.  Since  the  war  he 
has  devoted  his  time  to  farming  and  stock  raising,  his  post 
office  address  being  Stonington,  111. 

JOSEPH  R.  EDMONDS ;  enlisted  as  a  private  and  served 
with  the  regiment  until  it  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  in 


346  COMPANY   E. 

1865.  He  commenced  teaching  school  soon  after  his  discharge 
from  the  army  and  continued  teaching  till  1888,  when  he  was 
elected  circuit  clerk  and  recorder  for  the  County  of  Christian, 
111.  Since  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office  he  has  been 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  business  and  is  now  located  in  De- 
catur,  111. 

WILLIAM  L.  HURST ;  born  in  Shelby  County,  Ind.,  No- 
vember 14,  1831,  and  removed  to  Christian  County,  111.,  in 
1854.  He  enlisted  in  Company  E  at  its  organization,  and  par- 
ticipated with  it  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  gun  shot  wound  in  the  left  leg,  fracturing  the  bone. 
He  was  then  taken  to  Quincy,  111.,  and  remained  in  the  hos- 
pital until  discharged  on  account  of  wounds,  August  3,  1864. 
When  he  had  sufficiently  recovered  he  engaged  in  farming, 
which  he  continued  to  follow  as  long  as  he  was  able  to  do  so. 
He  has  been  unable  to  work  for  the  last  15  years.  He  now 
resides  at  Independence,  Kan. 

JAMES  L.  HIGHT ;  transferred  to  the  veteran  reserve 
corps  April  30,  1864.  After  returning  from  the  army  he  spent 
some  years  farming  near  Macon,  111.,  then  engaged  in  business 
in  Macon,  and  later  in  banking  in  the  same  place,  being  the 
head  of  the  firm  of  J.  L.  Hight  &  Son,  bankers. 

JOHN  H.  HERDMAN ;  returned  to  the  farm  at  the  close 
of  the  war  and  now  resides  near  Taylorville,  111. 

JAMES  JOHNSON  ;  killed  at  Chickamauga  September  20, 
1863. 

MUSICIAN. 

JAMES  A.  RUBY;  was  a  prisoner  of  war  many  months, 
suffering  all  the  horrors  of  Andersonville  and  other  Southern 
prison  pens.  He  is  now  a  locomotive  engineer  and  resides 
at  No.  99  North  Kedzie  Avenue,  Chicago,  111. 

PRIVATES. 

ABRAMS,  FRANCIS  M. ;  is  a  farmer  residing  near  Blue 
Mound,  111. 

AMSLER,  JOHN ;  discharged  June  29,  1863 ;  reported 
dead. 


COMPANY   E.  347 

ARMSTRONG,  JOHN  A. ;  is  a  farmer  residing  near  Ma- 
con,  111. 

ARMSTRONG,  MADISON  S. ;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn., 
September  3,  1863. 

ASHMEAD,  MYERS  J. ;  killed  at  Chickamauga  Septem- 
ber 20,  1863. 

BIDDLE,  ALEXANDER  W;  was  bora  near  Jonesbor- 
ough,  Tenn.,  April  i,  1833.  After  completing  his  education  at 
Washington  College,  he  went  West  and  located  at  Macon, 
111.,  about  the  year  1860.  He  was  with  the  regiment  in  its  cam- 
paign in  Kentucky  where  he  was  soon  taken  sick  and  sent  to 
the  general  hospital  at  Lexington.  Being  an  invalid,  he  was 
transferred  from  active  service  to  the  veteran  reserve  corps 
and  retained  at  the  hospital  as  clerk  and  druggist  until  he  was 
discharged  for  disability,  May  24,  1865.  Among  his  official 
papers  are  found  many  letters  from  the  physicians  in  charge 
of  the  hospital,  expressing  appreciation  of  his  able  and  faith- 
ful services  for  nearly  three  years.  He  was  postmaster  at  Ma- 
con for  several  years,  and  in  1869  formed  a  partnership  with  a 
comrade,  Robert  Bivans,  and  engaged  in  mercantile  business 
for  several  years,  under  the  firm  name  of  Biddle  &  Bivans. 
He  sold  out  about  1876  and  invested  in  farm  lands,  and  in  1888 
moved  to  Lawtey,  Fla.,  where  he  engaged  in  fruit  growing. 
He  was  an  earnest  advocate  of  the  temperance  cause,  was 
delegate  to  the  National  Prohibition  Convention  at  Cincinnati 
in  1892,  and  at  Pittsburg  in  1896,  and  was  chairman  of  the 
state  executive  committee  for  Florida  at  his  death. 

He  was  a  devoted  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and  served  as  lay  delegate  to  the  General  Conference 
held  at  Cleveland,  O.,  in  1896.  His  anxiety  for  the  cause  of 
Christianity  was  evidenced  shortly  before  his  death  by  the  gift 
to  the  church  at  Lawtey  of  all  his  Florida  property,  amounting 
to  about  $5,000,  including  his  beautifully  furnished  home  for 
a  parsonage.  He  died  at  Lawtey,  September  15,  1897,  and  was 
taken  to  Macon,  111.,  for  interment.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
Dora  E.  Frazee  at  Macon,  111.,  December  8,  1867.  To  them 
was  born  one  child,  Estella  W.  He  is  survived  by  his  wife, 
daughter  and  two  grandchildren,  Dora  and  Eva  May. 


348  COMPANY    E. 

BREEDEN  JOHN  M. ;  the  only  lawyer  of  the  regiment  and 
the  oldest  man  in  the  company ;  the  father  of  Corporal  Breden  ; 
was  a  native  of  Maysville,  Ky.  His  health  failing  he  was  dis- 
charged January  5,  1863,  and  a  few  years  later  died  at  De- 
catur,  111. 

BIVANS,  ROBERT;  born  May  14,  1842,  in  Franklin 
County,  Ohio.  He  inherited  honesty  and  industry,  and  ac- 
quired the  education  afforded  by  the  Ohio  public  schools. 
Ambitious  to  better  his  fortunes,  he  came  to  Illinois  in  1859 
and  located  on  a  farm  in  the  southern  part  of  Macon  County. 
He  was  with  his  company  in  all  its  campaigns  until  the  close 
of  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  During  the  summer  of  1863 
he  was  on  detached  duty  at  regimental  headquarters,  and  al- 
though not  required  to  carry  a  musket,  his  patriotic  spirit  did 
not  permit  him  to  remain  an  idle  spectator  when  a  battle  was 
on,  so  when  the  regiment  moved  on  the  enemy  near  McAfee 
Church  on  Saturday,  September  19,  1863,  he  secured  the 
Springfield  rifle  of  a  wounded  man  of  the  4Oth  Ohio,  and  en- 
tered the  line  of  battle  with  his  company,  where  he  remained, 
doing  effective  work  until  shot  down  by  the  enemy.  In  the  des- 
perate charges  on  Snodgrass  Hill,  Comrade  Bivans  was  among 
the  most  daring.  He  was  ever  at  the  front,  loading  and  firing 
his  piece  in  the  most  deliberate  manner,  as  if  entirely  uncon- 
scious of  the  dangers  of  the  situation.  Late  in  the  afternoon, 
at  the  moment  of  taking  aim,  a  shot  passed  through  his  right 
elbow,  shattering  the  bones  and  crippling  him  for  life.  The 
writer  of  this  history  was  present  at  the  time  and  witnessed 
Comrade  Bivan's  brave  conduct,  and  gladly  makes  this  refer- 
ence as  justly  due  for  his  gallant  behavior  at  the  most  critical 
moment  of  the  conflict.  Comrade  Bivins  was  fortunately 
carried  to  the  rear  in  time  to  escape  capture,  and  was  taken  to 
the  field  hospital  opposite  Chattanooga,  where  he  remained 
till  February,  1864.  He  suffered  terribly  because  of  erysipelas 
and  blood  poisoning  following  the  resection  of  his  elbow 
joint,  which  resulted  in  a  large  abscess  in  his  left  chest,  destroy- 
ing the  lung.  Reduced  to  a  mere  skeleton  from  his  wound 
and  resulting  disease,  he  was  finally  discharged  at  Quincy, 
111.,  March  23.  1865.  He  then  returned  to  Macon,  111.,  and  re- 


COMPANY   E.  349 

sumed  his  place  among  its  citizens,  being  highly  respected  by 
all.  He  was  postmaster  at  Macon  for  a  number  of  years,  until 
a  ruler  came  to  the  throne  "who  knew  not  Joseph,"  and  gave 
the  place  to  another.  After  that  he  engaged  successfully  in 
agriculture,  mercantile  and  insurance  business.  On  May  25, 
1871,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Flora  A.  Sweeny  of  Fulton 
County,  111.  They  have  two  children,  a  son  and  daughter, 
both  grown  to  maturity.  Since  1895  ne  nas  n°t  been  able  to 
do  any  business  on  account  of  his  wounds  and  failing  health. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  and 
earnest  in  the  faith.  From  his  earnings  and  his  pension  he 
has  a  comfortable  living,  residing  at  Decatur,  111. 

CLEMENTS,  DAVID  T. ;  mortally  wounded  on  Septem- 
ber 20,  1863,  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  and  died  on  the 
field. 

CLEMENTS,  MILTON  H. ;  discharged  December  14, 
1862 ;  resides  at  Sun  City,  Kan. 

CRAFTON,  John;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  March  4,  1863. 

CROOKS,  GEORGE  W. ;  died  at  his  home  November  6, 
1862. 

CUMMINGS,  JOHN ;  died  near  Blue  Mound,  111. 

CUMMINGS,  JAMES  H.;  resides  on  a  farm  near  Blue 
Mound,  111. 

DARMER,  JOHN  O. ;  born  in  Shelby  County,  Ind.,  March 
28,  1840.  He  removed  to  Illinois  in  1853,  and  lived  in  Chris- 
tian County  till  he  entered  the  service.  He  was  of  a  genial 
disposition,  always  doing  something  for  the  amusement  of 
his  comrades,  and  always  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand.  He 
was  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight  at  Chickamauga,  till  terribly 
wounded,  receiving  two  shots  within  a  minute,  which  disabled 
him  for  active  field  service.  He  was  finally  discharged  because 
of  his  wounds  May  15,  1865.  After  his  discharge  he  returned 
to  Christian  County,  111.,  but  removed  to  Champaign  County 
in  1869.  He  followed  farming  as  an  occupation  until  1898, 
when  he  removed  to  Champaign  City  and  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  business,  which  is  his  present  occupation. 

DARMER,  WILLIAM  C. ;  left  the  farm  to  enter  the  serv- 
ice in  August.  1862,  and  was  one  of  Company's  E's  most  faith- 


350  COMPANY   E. 

ful  men  until  discharged.  After  the  war  he  returned  to  Chris- 
tian County,  111.,  and  resumed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer. 
Later  he  removed  to  Champaign,  111.  In  1895  he  removed  to 
Dallis  County,  Iowa,  and  settled  on  a  farm  near  Perry,  where 
he  now  resides.  He  has  a  family  of  eight  children. 

DE  ATLEY,  ALFRED  H. ;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn., 
March  3,  1863. 

DE  ATLEY,  JOSEPH  A.;  enlisted  January  22,  1863; 
transferred  to  2ist  Illinois;  died  at  Sandorus,  111.,  May  16, 

1873. 

ELDER,  WILLIAM  F. ;  enlisted  January  28,  1863;  was 
severely  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  September 
20,  1863,  and  discharged  on  account  thereof  January  2,  1865. 
He  now  resides  at  Boody,  111.,  supported  by  his  pension. 

GOODRICH,  IRA;  was  born  in  Putnam  County,  Ind.,  May 
6,  1834.  He  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  has  been  a  farmer 
all  his  life  except  while  in  the  army.  He  enlisted  in  Company 
E  at  its  organization,  and  served  with  it  until  mustered  out  in 
1865.  He  did  valiant  service  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga, 
where  he  was  severely  wounded.  He  owns  a  good  farm  near 
Coatesville,  Ind.,  where  he  now  resides,  enjoying  the  confi- 
dence of  all  who  know  him. 

GOODRICH,  OLIVER  P. ;  died  at  his  home  in  Christian 
County,  111.,  October  16,  1862. 

GAY,  DAVID  H.;  discharged  April  16,  1863;  removed  to 
Missouri. 

GREEN,  ROBERT  L. ;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  February 
i,  1865. 

GILHOUSEN,  WILLIAM  H. ;  brother  of  Sergeant  Gil- 
housen ;  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1842,  where  he  received  the 
usual  common  school  education.  He  joined  Company  E  as 
a  recruit  on  February  29,  1864,  and  served  until  the  regiment 
was  mustered  out  of  the  service,  participating  in  all  of  its  cam- 
paigns and  battles  of  that  period.  In  June,  1865,  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  2ist  Illinois,  and  appointed  clerk  to  the  medical 
director  of  the  4th  army  corps,  and  went  with  that  corps  to 
Texas,  serving  in  the  same  capacity  until  he  was  mustered  out 
in  December,  1865.  In  January,  1866,  he  located  in  Kahoka, 


WM.  GILHOUSEN.  WILLIAM  L.  HURST. 

BENNETT  HURST.  JOHN  O.  DARMER. 

ALL  OF  COMPANY  E. 


COMPANY    E.  351 

Mo.,  where  he  resided  until  1877,  when  he  removed  to  The 
Dalles,  Ore.,  where  he  had  excellent  success  in  the  photograph 
business.  After  ten  years  residence  in  Oregon,  in  which  he 
had  taken  and  perfected  a  claim  to  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land,  he  returned  to  Kahoka,  Mo.,  where  he  now  re- 
sides with  his  wife  and  a  family  of  six  boys  and  two  girls,  the 
youngest  sixteen  years  of  age,  all  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  with  their  parents.  He  is  in  poor  health, 
but  still  carrying  on  the  photograph  business.  He  has  abiding 
faith  that  when  the  roll  is  called  "up  yonder"  he  will  meet  all 
his  comrades  of  the  U5th. 

GRAHAM,  AMERICUS;  enlisted  February  10,  1863 ;  was 
an  efficient  soldier,  participating  with  his  company  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Chickamauga  in  which  he  was  wounded,  and  other  en- 
gagements. He  was  transferred  to  the  2ist  Illinois  in  June, 
1865,  and  remained  with  it  until  final  muster  out  in  December, 
1865.  He  is  now  engaged  in  live  stock  business,  and  resides 
at  Spicer,  Col. 

HAMMILL,  CHARLES  B. ;  was  killed  by  cars  at  Decatur, 
111.,  some  years  after  the  war. 

HENRY,  WILLIAM  G. ;  was  severely  wounded  in  the 
battle  of  Chickmauga,  but  recovered  in  time  to  do  much  more 
valiant  service  with  his  company.  Always  ready  for  any  duty 
that  presented  and  always  cheerful,  he  was  one  whom  every- 
body liked.  On  leaving  the  army  he  removed  to  Iowa,  settling 
at  Emmettsburg,  where  he  has  carried  on  the  drug  business 
with  much  success.  He  has  served  his  county  as  recorder  of 
deeds  and  clerk  of  court,  and  is  a  highly  respected  citizen.  A 
son  followed  his  example  by  doing  service  in  Cuba  in  the  late 
Spanish  war.  His  address  is  Emmettsburg,  Iowa. 

HOLLINGSWORTH,  SHELBY  ;  was  transferred  to  the 
2ist  Illinois;  now  resides  at  Virgil,  Mo. 

HUGLE,  JOHN  L. ;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  September 
14-  1863. 

HURST,  BENNETT;  was  born  in  Shelby  County,  Ind., 
in  1842,  and  removed  to  Christian  County,  111.,  in  1854.  He 
received  a  common  school  education,  and  enlisted  in  Company 
E  at  its  organization.  He  was  wounded  in  the  left  wrist  in 


352  COMPANY   E. 

the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  September  20,  1863,  causing  the 
total  disability  of  his  left  hand,  which  prevented  further  active 
service.  After  recovering  sufficiently,  he  did  hospital  service 
at  Nashville  until  mustered  out  in  July,  1865.  He  removed  to 
Ft.  Scott,  Kan.,  in  October,  1865,  and  served  as  a  salesman  for 
McDonald  Bros.  Later  he  purchased  a  farm,  on  which  he 
remained  until  1881,  when  he  sold  out  and  removed  to  Inde- 
pendence, Kas.,  where  he  still  resides.  He  has  been  in  the 
employ  of  the  Rock  Island  Lumber  &  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany for  several  years.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E. 
Shoup  in  1869. 

JACOBS,  JAMES  C. ;  is  now  a  successful  farmer  living 
near  Macon,  111. 

LONG,  REV.  JOSEPH  W.,  D.  D. ;  was  well  known  as 
brigade  orderly  in  which  capacity  he  did  excellent  service.  In 
the  battle  of  Chickamauga  his  coolness  and  bravery  were 
specially  commended.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  studied  for 
the  ministry  of  his  church,  the  United  Presbyterian,  and  has 
since  devoted  himself  to  that  work,  having  successfully  served 
important  churches  in  Illinois,  Kansas  and  Missouri,  being 
now  pastor  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  in  Springfield, 
Mo. 

LOVEL,  LEMUEL  J. ;  died  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  May  10, 
1863. 

MARKWELL,  WILLIAM  A. ;  born  in  Christian  County, 
111.,  in  1847.  He  received  a  common  school  education,  and  as- 
sisted his  father  on  his  farm  until  1862.  He  served  with  his 
company  through  all  its  service,  and  was  mustered  out  in 
1865.  Since  the  war  he  has  carried  on  the  business  of  farming 
until  1893,  when  he  purchased  a  comfortable  home  at  Bement, 
111.,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  dairy  business.  In 
1867  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  M.  Crowe,  and  has  one  son 
and  five  daughters. 

MEYERS,  JOHN  W. ;  is  a  farmer  residing  at  Blue  Mound, 
111. 

McVEY,  ELI;  died  at  Knightsville,  Ind.,  in  1891. 

McVEY,  LEVI ;  killed  by  a  runaway  team  near  Lathem, 
111.,  in  1893. 


COMPANY   E.  353 

McREYNOLDS,  NEWTON  W. ;  discharged  February  25, 
1864,  on  account  of  wounds  received  in  battle ;  resides  at  Hav- 
iiand,  Kan. 

MURPHY,  FINLEY;  reported  dead. 

PATRICK,  THOMAS  B. ;  died  near  Moweagua,  111. 

POPE,  ZACHARIAH;  died  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  Novem- 
ber 10,  1862. 

PRETTYMAN,  REV.  DANIEL  H. ;  was  a  minister  of  the 
Christian  Church ;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  in  February,  1863. 

QUICK,  SAMUEL  W. ;  resided  at  Cedarville,  Kan.,  when 
last  heard  from. 

RAMSEY,  JAMES;  died  at  Danville,  .Ky.,  January  n, 
1863. 

RANDALL,  GARRETT  B. ;  died  near  Blue  Mound,  111. 

ROBERTS,  HENRY;  enlisted  at  Normandy,  Tenn.,  Sep- 
tember i,  1863;  had  been  conscripted  into  the  Confederate 
army,  but  always  loyal  to  the  Union;  he  deserted  at  the  first 
opportunity  and  sought  service  in  the  Union  army.  He  was 
conspicuous  for  his  bravery  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 
On  Septemebr  24,  1863,  he  was  captured  with  the  ferry-boat 
party  and  being  recognized  by  his  old  Confederate  comrades, 
was  tried  and  shot  as  a  deserter. 

ROBERTSON,  JEREMIAH  H. ;  transferred  to  engineer 
corps  August  15,  1864;  not  heard  from. 

ROSE,  JOHN  V. ;  died  at  Resaca,  Ga.,  May  26,  1863. 

RUBY,  HENRY  J. ;  killed  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga, 
September  20,  1863. 

RUBY,  LEVIAS ;  died  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  April  23,  1863. 

RUSH,  FRANCIS  M. ;  not  heard  from. 

RUSH,  WILLIAM  E. ;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  January  31, 
1863. 

RUTLEDGE,  WILLIAM ;  mortally  wounded  in  the  battle 
of  Chickamauga. 

RUGH,  SAMUEL;  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1840,  and  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  Cass  County,  Incl.,  in  1853,  and 
thence  to  Macon  County,  111.,  in  1854,  where  he  resided  on  a 
farm  until  his  enlistment.  His  army  record  was  equal  to  the 
best — being  faithful  to  every  duty  and  with  his  company  in  all 


354  COMPANY    E. 

its  service.  At  the  beginning  of  the  Atlanta  campaign  he  was 
detailed  in  the  ambulance  corps  and  while  the  regiment  was  at 
Tunnel  Hill,  Ga.,  he  went  through  another  campaign  with 
Sherman's  army,  helping  to  care  for  the  wounded  in  all  the 
battles  in  which  his  brigade  was  engaged.  After  the  war  he 
spent  sixteen  years  in  mercantile  business  in  Pennsylvania. 
He  then  returned  to  Macon  County,  111.,  and  resumed  his  old 
occupation  of  farming,  on  the  old  homestead  near  Boody, 
where  he  still  resides. 

RUTLEDGE,  SILAS ;  was  born  in  Dixon  County,  Tenn., 
May  5,  1837,  but  was  reared  in  Christian  County,  111.  The 
country  being  sparcely  settled,  he  had  very  few  opportunities 
for  an  education,  except  in  farm  work.  He  enlisted  August 
13,  1862,  in  Company  E,  at  Macon,  111.,  and  participated  with 
his  company  and  regiment  in  all  their  campaigns  and  battles. 
He  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Resaca,  May  16,  1864.  After 
his  discharge  he  returned  to  Illinois  and  resided  on  a  farm  in 
Macon  County  until  November,  1870,  when  he  removed  to 
Sedgwick  County,  Kan.,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged 
in  farming.  He  has  been  honored  with  election  to  the  State 
Legislature  and  to  various  local  offices.  He  was  a  Republican 
in  politics  until  1889,  when  he  joined  with  others  in  the  reform 
movement  in  Kansas.  His  postoffice  address  is  Colwich,  Kan. 

SMITH,  ISAAC  B.;  died  at  Richmond,  Ky.'  January  i. 
1863. 

STARK.  JESSE  M. ;  reported  to  be  at  Persia,  Iowa. 

TETER,  SAMUEL;  discharged  January  24,  1863;  now 
resides  at  Shickley,  Neb. 

TRAVES,  JAMES  E. ;  died  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  April  22, 
1863. 

THOMPSON,  WILLIAM ;  mortally  wounded  and  left  on 
the  field  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 

WADDLE,  JOSEPH  M. ;  born  in  Ohio  County,  W.  Va., 
December  9,  1843,  where  he  resided  until  fourteen  years  of 
age.  He  then  removed  with  his  parents  to  Christian  County, 
111.,  where  they  lived  on  a  farm  until  his  enlistment  in  1862. 
He  was  one  of  the  Christian  County  group  that  came  to  Ma- 
con and  joined  Company  E  at  its  organization.  He  was  with 


COMPANY   E.  355 

the  regiment  in  all  its  service  until  September  23,  1863,  partici- 
pating with  it  in  the  great  struggle  of  Chickamauga  and  being 
one  of  the  thirteen  well  men  of  Company  E  who  stacked  arms 
at  Rossville  at  the  close  of  that  battle.  He  was  of  the  party 
withLieutenant  Gore  which  attempted  to  take  the  ferry-boat 
past  Lookout  Mountain,  and  was  captured.  The  story  of  his 
capture  and  prison  life  is  told  elsewhere.  On  returning  to  the 
regiment,  Comrade  Waddle  resumed  his  place  with  Company 
E  until  its  muster  out  in  June  following.  In  March,  1868,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  L.  Terrill,  of  Wheeling,  W. 
Va.  After  the  war  he  settled  on  a  farm  near  his  father's 
home  in  Christian  County,  111.,  where  he  was  a  devoted  farmer 
until  1883,  when  he  sold  out  and  removed  to  Pawnee  County, 
Neb.,  and  again  settled  on  a  farm  near  Pawnee  City,  where 
he  still  resides  with  his  wife  and  family  of  three  boys  and  three 
girls. 

WEATHERFORD,  WILLIAM  H.;  mustered  in  Com- 
pany H  to  make  up  its  number,  but  always  regarded  himself  as 
an  E  man ;  is  now  postmaster  at  Boody,  111. 

WEST,  JAMES  M.;  discharged  July  9,  1863;  resides  at 
Blue  Hill,  Neb. 

WHITE,  GEORGE  T. ;  discharged  April  18,  1863 ;  after- 
wards enlisted  in  a  battery,  and  was  killed  in  the  battle  of 
Atlanta. 

WHITE,  LEVI;  discharged  August  6,  1863.  He  was 
born  in  Ohio  in  1823.  After  returning  from  the  army  he  lived 
on  a  farm  in  Macon  County,  111.,  till  1872,  when  he  removed 
to  Reno  County,  Kan.,  and  lived  on  a  farm  till  his  death 
January  20,  1885. 

WHITE,  WILLIAM  ;  discharged  February  4,  1863  ;  now 
in  Illinois  Asylum  for  Insane  at  Jacksonville,  111. 

WHITE,  WILLIAM  F. ;  a  son  of  Levi  White ;  enlisted 
January  28,  1863  ;  was  discharged  April  13,  1863,  and  was 
drowned  in  Sangamon  River,  near  Decatur,  in  1883. 

WILLIAMS,  LOTON  G. ;  born  in  Oxford,  N.  C,  June 
28,  1836.  In  1842,  his  parents  removed  to  Illinois  and  he  had 
the  experience  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  Prairie  State. 
His  opportunities  for  an  education  were  limited,  but  he  was 


356  COMPANY   E. 

taught  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith,  at  which  he  was  engaged  at 
the  time  of  his  enlistment.  He  was  married  and  had  two  chil- 
dren when  he  left  home  to  join  in  the  defense  of  his  country. 
He  shared  in  all  the  hardships  and  service  of  his  company, 
was  ever  ready  for  the  severest  duty  and  was  highly  respected 
by  all  his  comrades.  When  mustered  out  of  the  service,  he 
returned  to  Christian  County,  111.,  and  resumed  the  work  of 
his  trade,  which  he  followed  most  of  his  life.  He  now  lives 
near  Stonington,  111.,  within  two  miles  of  where  he  was 
brought  up,  and  is  engaged  in  farming. 

WOOD,  NEWELL;  died  in  California  in  1893. 

WOOD,  FRANCIS  E. ;  discharged  December  27,  1862; 
now  resides  in  Decatur,  111. 

YOUNG,  PETER  C. ;  died  at  Taylorville,  111.,  in  1872. 


COMPANY  F. 


COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

FRANK  L.  HAYS,  Major,  Captain  Company  F.  Major 
Hays  was  born  August  23,  1836,  in  central  Ohio.  His  par- 
ents, Thomas  and  Abby  Hays,  were  both  natives  of  the  same 
State.  Both  of  their  fathers  were  quite  prominent  in  the 
Federal  Army  in  the  War  for  Independence.  Major  Hays 
was  educated  at  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University,  at  Delaware, 
O.  At  fifteen  he  was  elected  and  received  a  commission  from 
Governor  Todd  as  second  lieutenant  of  an  independent  mili- 
tary company,  known  as  the  Olentangy  Guards.  The  officers 
were :  Captain,  Eugene  Powell ;  first  lieutenant,  James 
Crawford ;  second  lieutenant,  F.  L.  Hays.  A  coincidence 
worth  noting  is  that,  in  the  Civil  War,  Captain  Powell  be- 
came a  brigadier-general,  Lieutenant  Crawford  a  colonel,  and 
Lieutenant  Hays  a  major.  At  nineteen  years  of  age  Major 
Hays  came  to  Decatur,  111.,  then  a  small  town,  and  engaged  in 
the  dry  goods  business,  and  with  the  exception  of  his  army 
life  of  three-  years,  continued  in  the  same  business  until  1889. 
It  was  the  summer  of  1862  before  Major  Hays  was  impressed 
with  the  fact  that  it  was  necessary  that  the  United  States 
Government  should  have  his  services,  and  he  at  once  com- 
menced raising  a  company.  On  August  6,  1862,  with  fifty 
other  young  men  of  Decatur,  he  was  sworn  into  the  service 
as  a  private  soldier.  Lacking  the  full  number  of  men,  the 
company  went  to  Camp  Butler  with  only  a  temporary  organ- 
ization. On  consolidation  with  the  company  organized  by 
Captain  Richmond  at  Oconee,  Major  Hays  was  elected  cap- 
tain. He  commanded  his  company  until  March,  1863,  when 
he  was  appointed  inspector-general  on  the  staff  of  Brig.-Gen. 
Absalom  Baird,  division  commander,  in  which  position  he 
continued  until  General  Baird  was  transferred  tothei4th  corps. 


358  COMPANY   F. 

Upon  General  Steedman  assuming  command  of  the  division, 
Major  Hays  was  retained  in  the  same  position,  which  he 
filled  in  a  most  able  manner  until  after  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga.  On  the  reorganization  of  the  army  after  that  battle. 
Major  Hays  resumed  command  of  his  company.  He  served 
several  weeks  as  a  member  of  a  court-martial  while  at  Cleve- 
land, Tenn.,  in  the  spring  of  1864.  On  April  6,  1864,  he  re- 
ceived a  commission  as  paymaster  of  United  States  Volun- 
teers, with  the  rank  of  major,  and  was  ordered  to  report  at 
Washington  for  assignment  to  duty.  We  were  then  about 
to  go  on  the  Atlanta  campaign,  and  Major  Hays  being  un- 
willing to  leave  the  regiment  while  any  fighting  was  in  pros- 
pect, allowed  his  commission  to  remain  dormant  for  the 
time.  He  continued  in  the  command  of  his  company  in 
the  operations  over  Tunnel  Hill,  the  fighting  at  Rocky  Faced 
Ridge  and  the  battle  of  Resaca.  His  courage  was  shown  when 
the  two  wings  of  the  regiment  became  separated,  when  so 
furiously  assaulted  by  the  rebels  on  Saturday  afternoon,  May 
I4th,  and  Major  Hays  assumed  command  of  the  right  wing 
as  the  senior  officer  present,  and  held  the  hill  on  which  he 
was  posted,  while  Stevenson's  rebels  swept  past  him  in  hot 
pursuit  of  the  left  wing  of  the  regiment  and  General  Cruft's 
brigade.  In  that  action  he  was  slightly  wounded.  After  the 
battle,  the  regiment  being  assigned  to  garrison  duty  at  Re- 
saca, Major  Hays  returned  to  Cleveland  and  accepted  his 
position  as  paymaster,  and  at  once  reported  for  duty.  He 
was  on  duty  paying  troops  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  at  various 
points  in  Tennessee  and  Georgia,  at  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  and 
Springfield  and  Chicago,  111.,  until  February,  1865,  when  he 
resigned  and  resumed  the  dry  goods  business  at  Decatur.  In 
all  the  positions  held  by  Major  Hays,  company  commander, 
provost  marshal  at  Richmond  and  Danville,  Ky.,  inspector- 
general,  acting  post  commissary  at  Shell  Mound  and  Chatta- 
nooga and  paymaster — nearly  all  of  them  positions  of  trust, 
in  which  he  handled  large  sums  of  money,  receiving  and  ac- 
counting for  more  than  a  million  dollars,  besides  much  Gov- 
ernment property, — upon  final  settlement,  all  of  his  accounts 
with  the  Government  were  found  correct.  The  only  amount 


COMPANY   F.  359 

of  indebtedness  from  him  to  the  Government  was  thirteen 
cents,  which  was  cancelled  in  a  very  complimentary  letter 
sent  him  by  the  second  auditor  of  the  Treasury.  This  is  a 
record  of  which  Major  Hays  may  well  feel  proud.  Since 
retiring  from  the  dry  goods  business,  he  has  served  two 
terms  as  city  clerk  of  Decatur,  and  has  always  been  prominent 
in  affairs  having  in  view  the  welfare  of  that  city.  He  was 
married  in  1861  to  Miss  Harriet  L.  White,  of  Decatur,  a  sis- 
ter of  the  wife  of  General,  Governor  and  Senator  Richard  J. 
Oglesby.  He  has  three  sons  and  a  daughter, — all  of  his  sons 
being  in  business.  Major  Hays  still  resides  in  Decatur,  is 
active  in  the  Grand  Army,  and  extends  a  cordial  welcome 
to  all  the  comrades  who  come  his  way. 

CHARLES  H.  GRIFFITH,  Captain;  has  been  a  farmer 
until  recently ;  now  resides  in  Martinsville,  111. 

JAMES  SMITH,  First  Lieutenant ;  resigned  February  6, 
1863  ;  died  at  Oconee,  111.,  some  time  after  the  war. 

MATTHEW  FREEMAN,  First  Lieutenant;  died  March 
30,  1863. 

WILLIAM  F.  SLOCUM,  First  Lieutenant ;  resigned  No- 
vember 28,  1863. 

JACOB  PORTER,  First  Lieutenant ;  was  promoted  from 
corporal  to  first  sergeant  and  then  to  first  lieutenant ;  was 
killed  in  battle  at  Resaca,  May  15,  1864. 

WALLACE  G.  MILLS,  First  Lieutenant;  born  in  Gib- 
son County,  Ind.,  in  March,  1835.  He  enlisted  in  Company 
F,  August  13,  1862,  and  was  mustered  as  a  corporal.  He 
was  later  promoted  to  sergeant,  and  on  July  i,  1864,  was 
mustered  as  first  lieutenant  to  take  rank  from  May  15,  1864. 
He  resigned  on  account  of  disability  February  14,  1865,  and 
returned  to  Princeton,  Ind.,  where  he  married  Miss  Nancy 
A.  Ayres.  He  afterwards  removed  to  Ashland,  Ore.,  where 
he  died  about  1880. 

CHARLES  CARROLL  M'COMAS,  First  Lieutenant; 
son  of  Charles  McComas,  a  prominent  citizen  and  prosperous 
farmer  of  Jasper  County,  111.,  a  member  of  the  Virginia  branch 
of  the  McComas  family,  noted  for  its  bravery  in  war  and 
public  service  in  time  of  peace,  was  born  on  his  father's  farm 


360  COMPANY   F. 

August  10,  1846.  He  removed  to  Decatur,  111.,  in  1861  ;  en- 
listed in  the  ii5th  August  6th — four  days  under  sixteen  years 
of  age — and  was  mustered  in  as  corporal.  After  the  battle  of 
Resaca  he  was  promoted  to  first  sergeant ;  later  to  first  lieu- 
tenant. At  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  he  was  severely 
wounded  in  the  right  thigh,  while  serving  as  one  of  the  color 
guard,  occupying  a  position  in  the  center  of  the  regiment. 
Recovering  from  his  wound,  after  a  six  months'  stay  in  the 
hospital,  returned  to  the  front  and  served  until  the  war  closed. 
He  then  returned  to  Decatur,  where  he  engaged  in  business ; 
reading  law  at  night  and  later  taking  a  course  of  law  lectures 
at  the  University  of  Michigan.  Colonel  Moore  took  a  deep 
and  abiding  interest  in  his  career,  aiding  him  to  gain  a  foot- 
hold in  his  profession  and  securing  him  a  confidential  posi- 
tion in  the  office  of  Hugh  Crea,  one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  in 
Illinois,  where  he  continued  his  law  studies.  In  1869  he 
hung  out  his  shingle  and  was  soon  launched  in  a  lucrative 
practice.  The  ties  of  friendship  above  mentioned  grew 
stronger,  and  in  November,  1870,  Colonel  Moore  gave 
Charlie  his  accomplished  daughter,  Alice,  the  colonel  per- 
forming the  marriage  ceremony.  Four  lovely,  talented  daugh- 
ters have  been  born  to  them,  three  of  whom  are  living;  the 
eldest,  Helen,  a  very  promising  artist,  died  at  nineteen  years 
of  age.  In  1871  Mr.  McComas  was  elected  State's  attorney 
for  Macon  County.  At  the  close  of  his  term  he  went  with 
his  family  to  Lamed,  Kan.,  where  he  was  immediately  elected 
probate  judge.  After  a  time  the  destitute  condition  of  Kan- 
sas led  him  to  seek  his  Eldorado  farther  west.  Going  to 
Albuquerque,  N.  M.,  his  professional  ability  was  soon  recog- 
nized in  his  appointment  to  the  office  of  prosecuting  attorney 
for  the  second  judicial  district.  He  also  served  as  territorial 
senator,  and  was  author  of  a  number  of  bills  which  have  be- 
come laws  in  New  Mexico,  the  most  prominent  being  the 
public  school  law.  The  demands  in  his  family  for  better  edu- 
cational advantages  led  him,  in  1886,  to  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  his 
present  home.  The  following  year  he  was  chosen  by  the  dis- 
trict attorney  as  his  assistant  and,  with  the  exception  of  one 
Democratic  term,  has  served  in  this  office  to  the  present 


D.  S.  REEL.  1899. 
ALLEN  CLODFELTER.  GEO.  W.  RHODES. 

D.  S.  REEL.  1864. 
ALL  OF  COMPANY  C. 


COMPANY    F.  361 

time.  The  Los  Angeles  Times  says  of  him :  "Los  Angeles 
County  has  never  had  so  able  a  prosecutor  as  we  now  possess 
in  the  person  of  Judge  McCotnas."  The  Los  Angeles  Even- 
ing Express  of  November,  1899,  says :  "Judge  McComas 
has  the  remarkable  record  of  having  convicted  more  criminals 
during  his  long  service,  as  a  public  prosecutor,  than  any 
other  officer  on  the  Pacific  Coast  in  a  like  period  of  time." 

DAVID  REED,  Second  Lieutenant;  born  near  Shelby- 
ville,  O.,  in  1840,  and  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  near  that 
place,  where  he  received  a  good  common  school  education. 
After  teaching  school  two  years  at  his  home  in  Ohio,  in 
1861  he  came  with  his  parents  to  Coldspring,  Shelby  County, 
111.,  where  he  taught  school  during  the  winter  of  1861-62. 
On  August  12,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  and  upon  the 
organization  of  the  company  was  elected  second  sergeant.  In 
January,  1863,  he  was  made  first  sergeant,  and  on  March  30, 
1863,  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  second  lieutenant.  He 
was  with  his  company  and  regiment  in  all  of  its  campaigns, 
until  shot  on  September  20,  1863,  in  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga.  While  gallantly  leading  his  company  in  action,  of 
which  he  was  then  in  command,  he  received  the  shot  which 
resulted  in  his  death  two  days  later.  Lieutenant  Reed  was  a 
capable  officer  and  a  good  disciplinarian,  faithful  to  every  duty 
and  greatly  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him. 

SERGEANTS. 

JAMES  B.  BERLIN,  First  Sergeant;  killed  in  battle  at 
Resaca,  Ga.,  May  14,  1864. 

ISAAC  S.  KAUFMAN,  First  Sergeant;  after  returning 
home  engaged  in  real  estate  business  in  Decatur ;  later  he 
removed  to  Spokane,  Wash.,  in  which  place  he  has  carried 
on  a  very  prosperous  real  estate  business  for  many  years, 
being  one  of  Sponkane's  most  enterprising  and  public  spirited 
citizens. 

CORNELIUS  AMBROSE ;  was  transferred  to  the  engi- 
neer corps  July,  1864;  not  heard  from  since. 

ALBERT  T.  MOORE ;   Topeka,  Kan. 

ALFRED  SHIVELY ;  killed  at  Chickamauga,  September 
20,  1863. 


362  COMPANY   F. 

WILLIAM  R.  OREAR;   died  at  Oconee,  111. 

WILLIAM  W.  PIERCE;  now  a  prominent  physician  re- 
siding at  Danville,  111. 

RUSSEL  G.  MIDDLETON ;  born  in  Coldspring  Town- 
ship, Shelby  County,  111.,  June  14,  1843,  where  he  received  a 
common  school  education.  He  enlisted  August  16,  1862,  in 
Company  F  at  Oconee,  111.,  and  was  with  the  regiment  in  all 
its  service  except  about  three  weeks'  confinement  in  a  hospital 
at  Nashville,  Tenn.  He  was  detailed  for  the  pioneer  brigade 
during  the  siege  of  Nashville  and  helped  to  dig  the  trenches 
for  the  skirmish  lines  in  that  engagement.  He  was  mustered 
out  with  the  regiment  and  since  then  has  been  a  farmer.  He 
moved  to  Nebraska  in  1872,  to  Colorado  in  1886,  and  back  to 
Cass  County,  111.,  in  1888.  His  postofnce  address  is  Oakford, 
111. 

THOMAS  D.  BRANNAN;  died  at  Resaca,  Ga.,  May  21, 
1864,  of  wounds  received  in  the  battle  at  that  place. 

CORPORALS. 

MILTON  WOOLLARD;  killed  at  Chickamauga,  Sep- 
tember 20,  1863. 

ALEXANDER  LUTTRELL;  killed  at  Chickamauga, 
September  20,  1863. 

HENRY  DETZENBERGER;  discharged  February  6, 
1863;  died  at  Oconee,  111. 

GEORGE  W.  MILLS;  a  brother  of  Lieutenant  Mills; 
born  in  Gibson  County,  Ind.,  February  22,  1837;  enlisted 
August  13,  1862,  in  Company  F;  was  promoted  to  corporal 
and  did  faithful  service  with  his  company  until  otherwise 
ordered  by  failing  health.  He  was  transferred  to  the  veteran 
reserve  corps  March  25,  1864,  and  was  mustered  out  July 
12,  1865.  He  then  returned  to  Princeton,  Ind.,  where  he 
married  Miss  Mary  A.  Ford,  and  where  he  still  resides  with 
his  wife  and  family  of  six  children,  four  daughters  and  two 
sons. 

GEO.  W.  ELLER;  born  July  4,  1846;  enlisted  August  20, 
1862,  and  served  with  his  company  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  in  the  railroad  service*  as 


COMPANY   F.  363 

machinist.  He  was  married  at  Vincennes,  Ind.,  in  1878,  to 
Miss  Martha  J.  Martin,  and  has  three  children.  He  resides  at 
107  Elliott  St.,  Evansville,  Ind. 

ISAAC  JONES;  born  in  Coldspring  Township,  Shelby 
County,  August  15,  1833,  and  was  reared  on  a  farm,  his  school 
privileges  being  very  limited.  He  enlisted  in  Company  F  in 
the  Ramsey  squad,  and  was  with  the  regiment  in  all  its 
marches  and  battles,  except  a  short  while  in  hospital  at  Dan- 
ville, Ky.  He  was  part  of  a  detail  of  twenty  men  for  service 
with  the  headquarters  of  the  4th  army  corps  in  the  Atlanta 
campaign,  in  which  he  continued  until  after  the  capture  of 
Marietta.  Corporal  Jones  resumed  his  occupation  as  a  farmer, 
on  his  return  from  the  army,  in  which  he  is  still  engaged 
near  Lakewood,  111.  He  was  married  in  1865  to  Miss  Mary 
A.  Ivison,  and  has  a  family  of  five  children,  three  boys  and 
two  girls. 

REV.  MATTHIAS  S.  KAUFMAN,  Ph.  D. ;  a  native  of 
Illinois,  his  father  having  been  a  sturdy  business  man  of 
Decatur,  where  he  long  served  as  a  justice  of  the  peace.  He 
was  but  a  boy  when  Company  F  was  being  formed,  and  was 
enrolled  as  a  private  in  August,  1862.  Later  he  was  made  a 
corporal.  Having  only  a  common  school  education,  he  de- 
voted every  moment  of  time,  not  required  by  his  duty  as  a 
soldier,  to  reading  and  study,  in  an  effort  to  prepare  himself 
for  usefulness  when  the  war  should  be  over.  As  a  soldier 
he  was  universally  respected  for  his  character  and  his  devo- 
tion to  principle  ;  he  was  ready  for  every  duty  and  was  in 
the  front  rank  when  the  battle  was  on.  Soon  after  the  close 
of  the  war  he  entered  the  high  school  at  Ann  Arbor,  Mich., 
from  which  he  graduated  in  June,  1868.  He  then  took  the 
classical  course  in  the  Northwestern  University  at  Evanston, 
111.,  and  the  Biblical  course  in  the  Garrett  Institute.  Later  he 
spent  two  years  in  Boston  University,  from  which  he  received 
his  Ph.  D.  degree.  Thus  equipped,  he  entered  the  ministry  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  serving  successfully  at  Ha- 
vana, 111.,  Mankato,  Minn.,  Grand  Forks  and  Fargo,  N.  D., 
Fall  River  and  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  and  Providence,  R.  I., 
and  is  now  pastor  of  the  Central  Methodist  Episcopal 


3(>4  COMPANY   F. 

Church  in  Brockton,  Mass.  In  1890  Dr.  Kaufman  made  an 
extensive  tour  of  Europe  and  Asia,  including  Great  Britain, 
Italy,  Greece,  Turkey,  Egypt,  Palestine  and  Syria. 

JAMES  LOWE;   not  hear  from. 

JOHN  J.  WOOLLARD  ;  died  at  Pana,  111.,  in  1890. 

MUSICIANS. 

CHARLES  GOODMAN ;  resides  at  Sterling,  111. 
EDWARD  MOORE ;   a  son  of  Colonel  Moore ;    now  re- 
sides at  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

WAGONER. 

JOEL  D.  SANDERSON;    resides  at  Bloomington,  111. 
PRIVATES. 

BANDY,  DANIEL  F. ;   reported  dead. 

BANDY,  JONATHAN  A. ;   reported  dead. 

BRYSON,  JOSIAH;  discharged  April  5,  1863;  resides  at 
Ottawa,  Kan. 

CAMPLAIN,  JACOB  C. ;   said  to  reside  in  California. 

CARTER,  JAMES  S. ;  resides  at  Decatur,  111. ;  was  a  long 
time  secretary  of  the  regimental  reunion  association,  and  is  a 
highly  respected  citizen. 

CASNET,  FRANK;   December  i,  1862;  reported  dead. 

CHEW,  WILLIAM  L.;  discharged  April  i,  1863;  resi- 
dence not  certain. 

CLARK,  JOHN  H. ;  discharged  June  18,  1863. 

CLARK,  WILLIAM  ;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve  corps 
March  21,  1864. 

CLINE,  ANDREW;  discharged  May  29,  1863;  resides  at 
Bloomington,  111. 

CREIGHTON,  JOHN  A. ;  resides  at  Norman,  Okla. 

FREELAND,  GEORGE  C. ;  resides  at  Tacoma,  Wash. 

CARVER,  ABRAHAM  M. ;   died  in  Decatur,  111. 

GREER,  CARROLL;  died  at  Beardstown,  111.,  June  15, 
1898. 

GOODMAN,  EDWIN  ;  transferred  to  2ist  Illinois  ;  said  to 
reside  in  Chicago,  111. 

HENDERSON,  GEORGE  A. ;  resides  at  Ramsey,  111. 


COMPANY   F.  365 

HALBROOKS,  WILLIAM  P. ;  died  at  Covington,  Ky., 
October  27,  1862. 

HELMS,  JACOB  A. ;  discharged  January  8,  1865,  on  ac- 
count of  wounds ;  residence  Union  Grove,  Mo. 

HENDERSON,  WILLIAM  R. ;  died  at  Lexington,  Ky., 
November  14,  1862. 

HINTON,  WILLIAM ;  transferred  to  engineer  corps, 
July  27,  1864;  not  heard  from. 

HUFFMAN,  JACOB  ;  drowned  in  trying  to  escape  from 
the  ferry-boat,  September  24,  1863. 

IMBODEN,  CYRUS  M. ;  born  in  Annville,  Lebanon 
County,  Pa.,  January  2,  1845.  When  eleven  years  of  age  he 
came  with  his  parents  to  Decatur,  111.,  where  he  obtained  a 
good  common  school  education.  Later  he  acquired  a  good 
business  education  in  a  practical  way  by  clerking  for  some 
of  the  most  prominent  business  firms  in  Decatur.  He  en- 
listed August  6,  1862,  in  Company  F,  and  was  with  the  com- 
pany in  all  its  service  until  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  when 
he  was  severely  wounded  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
of  September  2Oth,  on  Snodgrass  Hill.  Being  carried  from 
the  field,  he  became  a  patient  in  the  hospital,  first  at  Chatta- 
nooga, then  at  Stevenson,  Nashville  and  Louisville.  He  was 
discharged  because  of  his  wounds  on  February  29,  1864.  He 
then  returned  to  his  home  in  Decatur,  where  he  is  still  re- 
siding and  actively  engaged  in  business,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  prominent,  public  spirited  citizens  of  that  city.  He  has 
always  been  active  in  Grand  Army  matters,  and  has  been 
one  of  the  most  enthusiastic  workers  in  the  reunion  associa- 
tion of  the  1 1 5th,  having  been  its  treasurer  for  many  years. 

JONES,  ELIJAH  W. ;  died  at  Covington,  Ky.,  October 
29,  1862. 

JONES,  FRANCIS  M. ;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  March  9, 
1863. 

JONES,  JAMES  ;  was  wounded  in  battle  ;  died  at  Oconee, 
111.,  since  muster  out. 

JONES,  MARTIN  T. ;  died  in  Texas  in  1898. 

KRAMER,  ELIAS ;  discharged  October  4,  1862 ;  died  at 
Decatur,  111.,  July  4,  1877. 


366  COMPANY   F. 

KEPLER,  ANDREW ;   died  since  muster  out. 

KING,  JAMES  T. ;  born  in  1844  in  Madison  County,  111. 
His  education  was  received  in  the  old  fashioned  school  house, 
with  benches  made  of  slabs  from  the  saw  mill.  He  was  ac- 
customed to  the  hard  work  usual  to  the  farms  at  that  time. 
At  fifteen  he  secured  a  position  in  a  book  store  in  Decatur, 
111.,  and  attended  night  school,  until  he  enlisted  in  August, 
1862.  Comrade  King  was  one  of  the  most  faithful  soldiers  of 
Company  F,  and  was  always  ready  for  any  service, — until  his 
capture,  which  is  related  elsewhere.  After  the  war  he  took 
a  course  in  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Commercial  College  in  St. 
Louis,  where  he  graduated.  He  conducted  a  news  agency  for 
some  time  in  Golden  City,  Col.,  then  built  a  planing  mill,  and 
later  a  foundry  and  machine  shop.  He  moved  back  to  Illi- 
nois in  1881,  and  settled  near  Alton,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming  and  milling, — but  at  present  is  engineer  for  the  elec- 
tric company  of  Alton,  in  which  city  he  resides. 

LINN,  WILLIAM  T. ;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve 
corps,  September  5,  1863;  resides  at  Herrick,  111. 

LOCKWOOD,  JAMES ;  resides  in  Oklahoma. 

LUTTRELL,  THEOPHOLIS ;  discharged  December  16, 
1863 ;  died  since  muster  out. 

MANLEY,  DAVID;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve  corps 
September  i,  1863  ;  died  at  Hillsboro,  111.,  in  August,  1870. 

MEREDITH,  JAMES  W. ;    died  since  muster  out. 

MILUM,  JOHN;  discharged  February  6,  1863;  resides 
at  Van  Burensburg,  111. 

OGLESBY,  CHARLES  E. ;   died  since  the  war. 

POPE,  MATHEW  L. ;  discharged  April  20,  1863;  last 
heard  from  at  Greencastle,  Ind. 

PRICE,  WILLIAM  B. ;    resides  at  Oconee,  111. 

PRICE,  JOHN  H.;  was  born  in  Shelby  County,  111.,  in 
1840.  He  enlisted  August  13,  1862,  and  served  with  his  com- 
pany in  all  its  campaigns  and  was  mustered  out  with  it  June 
n,  1865.  He  is  proud  of  his  war  record,  as  well  he  may  be, 
for  it  was  a  good  one,  and  takes  an  active  interest  in  G.  A.  R. 
matters.  He  now  resides  at  Pana,  111.,  one  of  its  most  highly- 
respected  citizens. 


LIEUT.  A.  C.  ALLINSON.  SAMUEL  RUGH. 

WM.  A.  MARKWELL.  LEVI   WHITE. 

ALL  OF  COMPANY  E. 


COMPANY   F.  367 

PRIEST,  JOHN ;   resides  at  Decatur,  111. 

REATL,  WILLIAM ;   died  at  Oconee,  111.,  in  1867. 

ROE,  GEORGE  L. ;  died  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  April  6,  1863. 

ROBERTS,  ALBERT  M. ;  died  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  April 
25,  1863. 

ROBERTS,  JOHN  P.;  enlisted  October  i,  1862;  died  at 
Lexington,  Ky.,  November,  1862. 

ROBERTS,  RICHARD  J. ;  discharged  January  22,  1863 ; 
now  resides  at  Decatur,  111. ;  has  been  post  commander  of 
G.  A.  R.  and  is  a  highly  respected  citizen. 

ROBERTS,  SYLVESTER;  discharged  April  13,  1863; 
reported  dead. 

ROBERTS,  SYLVESTER  L. ;  killed  at  Chickamauga, 
September  20,  1863. 

ROBERTS,  WALKER;    now  resides  at  Ramsey,  111. 

ROBERTS,  WILLIAM  R. ;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  January 
15,  1863. 

ROBERTSON,  JAMES  S. ;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  Janu- 
ary 28,  1863. 

ROBERTSON,  JOHN  H. ;  now  resides  at  Ramsey,  111. 

ROBERTSON,  WILLIAM ;    now  resides  at  Ramsey,  111. 

ROOKARD,  DAVID  M. ;  killed  at  Chickamauga,  Septem- 
ber 20,  1863. 

ROSS,  JOSEPH ;   reported  residing  at  Gilfilland,  Kan. 

SHULL,  RICHARD  W. ;  was  a  man  of  unblemished 
character  in  the  army,  faithful  to  every  duty  as  a  soldier.  He 
resides  in  Decatur,  111.,  where  he  has  been  in  the  dry  goods 
business  almost  all  the  time  since  he  came  from  the  army. 

SLACK,  FREDERICK  W. ;  discharged  January  15,  1863; 
died  since  leaving  the  army. 

SLATER,  JOSEPH ;   died  at  Gainsville,  Tex.,  in  1894. 

STAPLETON,  JOSEPH;  discharged  May  n,  1863;  re- 
sides at  Assumption,  111. 

TITUS,  PETER ;  enlisted  September  20,  1862 ;  died  at 
Tunnel  Hill,  Ga..  July  15,  1864. 

WALDRON,  JOHN  W. ;  discharged  April  8,  1863;  re- 
sides at  Pana,  111. 


368  COMPANY   F. 

WARD,  LEVI  L. ;  died  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  November  17, 
1862. 

WARREN,  HENRY;   died  at  Cornland,  Mo.,  in  1869. 

WOLLARD,  CHARLES;  died  at  Tullahoma,  Tenn.,  in 
September,  1863. 


COMPANY  G. 


COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

STEPHEN  BARLOW  ESPY,  Captain,  was  born  at  Espy- 
ville,  Penn.,  June  8,  1827,  being  the  ninth  in  a  family  of  ten 
children.  His  father,  Patterson  Espy,  was  a  lawyer  of  good 
education.  His  mother,  Mercy  Freeman,  was  a  Quaker  from 
Newark,  N.  J.  His  grandfather,  George  Espy,  settled  the 
hamlet  Espyville  in  1789,  after  serving  through  the  War  of  the 
Revolution,  being  one  of  the  barefoot  boys  at  Valley  Forge. 
The  more  remote  ancestors  on  his  father's  side  were  all  of 
Scotch-Irish  Presbyterian  families  that  settled  in  Pennsyl- 
vania at  an  early  day.  Captain  Espy  received  an  academical 
education  at  Franklin,  Pa.  In  1846  he  came  to  Fort  Madison, 
Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  mercantile  business  with  his  uncle 
and  brother.  In  September,  1848,  he  married  Miss  Rebecca 
Cutler,  daughter  of  Judge  Cutler,  one  of  Iowa's  pioneers.  In 
the  spring  of  1861  he  opened  a  general  store  in  Shelbyville, 
111.,  where  he  was  in  business  at  the  time  he  entered  the  ser- 
vice. He  made  his  store  a  recruiting  office,  and  soon  led 
to  the  field  Company  G,  of  which  he  was  chosen  captain.  Cap- 
tain Espy's  ability  in  the  management  of  his  company  soon 
pointed  him  out  as  a  suitable  officer  for  staff  duty,  and  he  was 
detailed  as  brigade  commissary  of  subsistence,  in  which  ca- 
pacity he  was  serving  at  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga.  Major  George  Hicks,  of  the  96th  Illinois,  in  a  letter 
to  the  New  York  Tribune  soon  after  the  battle,  thus  speaks 
of  Captain  Espy's  conduct  in  the  battle:  "Captain  S.  B.  Espy, 
of  General  Whitaker's  staff,  was  a  very  lion  that  day.  He 
was  advised  to  remain  with  his  trains,  but  too  noble  spirited 
for  that,  he  forthwith  went  on  the  field,  and,  fearless  of  dan- 
ger, did  wonders  in  cheering  and  rallying  the  men  under  the 


370  COMPANY  G. 

destructive  fire  of  the  enemy.  He  was  one  of  Illinois'  noble 
sons,  and  his  loss  is  severely  felt."  While  thus  gallantly  dis- 
charging his  duty,  Captain  Espy  received  his  death  wounds. 
It  is  probable  that  his  body  lies  in  the  National  Cemetery  at 
Chattanooga,  with  thousands  of  others  marked  "unknown." 
Our  country  cannot  do  too  much  in  honor  of  such  heroes. 
He  was  the  father  of  five  children,  the  eldest  of  whom  is 
the  wife  of  Col.  J.  B.  Morrison,  of  Fort  Madison,  Iowa.  Two 
of  his  daughters,  Florence  Mercy  and  Georgiana,  now  reside 
with  their  mother  at  the  same  place. 

JOHN  W.  DOVE,  Captain,  was  born  November  9,  1837, 
in  Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  where  he  resided  with  his  parents 
on  a  farm  until  1860.  He  then  removed  to  Shelby  County, 
111.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  when  the  H5th  was 
organized.  He  took  an  active  part  in  recruiting  Company  G 
and  was  elected  first  lieutenant.  Captain  Espy  being  on  de- 
tached service,  Lieutenant  Dove  was  the  company  command- 
er almost  from  the  beginning.  He  was  never  absent  from  the 
regiment,  and  never  asked  for  a  leave  of  absence,  and  partici- 
pated in  every  battle,  skirmish,  and  march.  He  was  promoted 
to  the  captaincy  on  the  death  of  Captain  Espy,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  war  was  given  the  brevet  rank  of  major  for  gallant 
conduct  on  the  field  of  battle.  After  being  mustered  out  he 
returned  to  the  farm  in  Shelby  County,  but  in  1873  removed  to 
Danville,  111.,  returning  to  Shelby  County  five  years  later. 
In  1883  he  removed  to  Beadle  County,  S.  D.,  and  in  1895 
removed  to  Alamosa,  Colo.,  where  he  now  resides  on  a  farm. 

JOHN  M.  BAKER,  First  Lieutenant,  was  second  lieuten- 
ant till  September  20,  1863.  He  was  an  efficient  officer  and 
may  well  be  proud  of  his  war  record.  He  is  now  superintend- 
ent of  the  city  water  and  electric  light  works  at  Paola,  Kan., 
which  has  been  his  home  for  several  years. 

SERGEANTS. 

GILMAN  M.  STURTEVANT,  First  Sergeant ;  reported  to 
be  at  Dexter,  Me.,  but  letters  are  returned  not  delivered. 

RICHARD  B.  SMITH ;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  October 
31,  1863,  of  wounds  received  at  Chickamauga. 


COMPANY  G.  371 

BENJAMIN  E.  SUTTON;  died  at  Nashville,  Term.,  Au- 
gust 22,  1863. 

OLIVER  H.  DURAND;  born  in  Elizabethtown,  N.  Y., 
April  4,  1841,  and  settled  in  Shelby  County,  111.,  in  1860,  where 
he  taught  school  until  he  enlisted  in  Company  G,  August  12, 
1862.  He  was  elected  a  sergeant  and  served  in  that  capacity 
until  mustered  out  in  June,  1865.  He  then  returned  to  Illinois 
and  resumed  the  profession  of  a  school  teacher.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1866  to  Miss  Eunice  H.  Amlin.  He  moved  to  Kane 
County  in  1871  and  engaged  in  mercantile  business,  but  sold 
out  in  1879  and  removed  to  Jewell  County,  Kan.  He  has 
held  important  positions  in  the  G.  A.  R.,  and  has  been  town- 
ship trustee,  justice  of  the  peace,  superintendent  of  public  in- 
struction, and  is  now  deputy  sheriff  of  Jewell  County,  Kan., 
residing  at  Mankato.  Sergeant  Durand  was  a  brave  soldier 
in  the  service,  and  since  the  war  has  been  a  faithful  citizen. 
He  is  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

JACOB  C.  MILLER;  discharged  to  accept  a  commission 
in  United  States  colored  troops ;  reported  to  be  in  California. 

WILLIAM  W.  HALL;  discharged  July  2,  1863  ;  resides  at 
Bloomington,  111. 

JOHN  HAGER ;  born  in  1841  in  Piqua  County,  Ohio.  He 
removed  to  Shelby  County,  111.,  in  1854,  where  he  received  a 
common  school  education.  He  was  a  farmer  until  his  enlist- 
ment. At  the  organization  of  the  company  he  was  elected  a 
corporal,  and  later  was  promoted  to  sergeant.  After  the  war 
he  lived  several  years  in  Illinois,  and  then  removed  to  Eureka, 
Kan.,  in  1870,  and  in  1880  he  removed  to  Emporia,  serving 
some  time  as  traveling  salesman  for  various  prominent  mer- 
cantile houses.  He  was  married  in  1867,  and  has  three  daugh- 
ters and  one  son.  He  is  now  in  business  for  himself  at  Eure- 
ka, Kan. 

DAVID  ROWLAND ;  resides  at  Cowden,  111. 

SAMUEL  S.  KELLY ;  born  at  Granclview,  Ohio,  March 
I,  1820,  and  died  at  Shelbyville,  111.,  April  i,  1900,  80  years 
old.  He  married  Miss  Esta  Mesnard  in  1842,  and  came  to 
Shelbyville  in  1861.  He  enlisted  in  Company  G  at  its  organi- 
zation, and  was  elected  corporal,  two  sons,  Hugh  A.  and  John 


372  COMPANY  G. 

S.,  being  members  of  the  same  company.  He  was  severely 
wounded  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  and  was  promoted  to 
sergeant  for  gallant  conduct  in  battle.  After  the  war  he  re- 
turned to  Shelbyville,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his 
life,  being  widely  known  as  "Kelley  the  coal  dealer,"  always 
highly  respected  for  his  honesty  in  his  dealings,  and  his  open- 
hearted  generosity  to  his  friends  and  comrades.  Six  sons 
survive  him  out  of  a  family  of  eleven  children. 

CORPORALS. 

HENRY  CLEM;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn..  October  30, 
1863. 

RICHARD  H.  JONES ;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  March 
31,  1863. 

JOSEPH  DAVIDSON ;  died  October  17,  1883. 

JOHN  W.  KEELER ;  not  heard  from. 

FREDERICK  W.  LEPKEY;  died  at  Resaca,  Ga.,  May  15, 
1864,  of  wounds  received  in  battle  May  14. 

JAMES  REICHART ;  resides  at  Brunswick,  111. 

JOHN  R.  WALLACE;  resides  at  Ogden,  Boone  Co.,  la. 

CHARLES  T.  THORNTON  ;  resides  at  Ida,  Texas. 

ALBERT  R.  THORNTON;  discharged  on  account  of 
wounds  received  in  battle  at  Chickamauga ;  died  October  23, 
1867. 

MUSICIAN. 

AMOS  WILLSON ;  died  at  Fosterville,  Tenn.,  August  29, 
1863. 

WAGONER. 

MARTIN  V.  MARSHALL ;  died  since  the  war  at  Spring- 
field, 111. 

PRIVATES. 

ALEXANDER,  WILLIAM  :  killed  at  Chickamauga,  Sep- 
tember 20,  1863. 

ANEALS,  FRANCIS  A.;  enlisted  November  25,  1863; 
transferred  to  2ist  Illinois;  reported  residing  in  Chicago,  111. 

ATKINSON,  WILLIAM ;  resides  at  Eureka.  Kan. 


COMPANY  G.  373 

BARRETT,  WILLIAM  O. ;  enlisted  November  25,  1863 ; 
mustered  May  10,  1865 ;  not  heard  from. 

BENJAMIN,  JOHN  J. ;  resides  at  Moberly,  Mo. 

BLACKSTONE,  WILLIAM ;  resides  Mendon,  Mo. 

BOWEN,  HENRY  J. ;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve 
corps  April  22,  1864;  not  heard  from. 

BROWN,  GEORGE  W. ;  died  at  Richmond,  Ky.,  Decem- 
ber 12,  1862. 

BROWN,  HIRAM ;  resides  at  Du  Quoin,  Kan. 

BURK,  ABRAHAM  B. ;  was  musician ;  resides  Evansville, 
Ind. 

CARTER,  JOSEPH  G. ;  was  a  prisoner  of  war ;  mustered 
out  August  7,  1865 ;  resides  at  Port  Royal,  Ky. 

CRADDICK,  DAVID  A. ;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve 
corps  August  15,  1864;  now  resides  at  Pana,  111. 

CRAIG,  JAMES  A.;  was  a  prisoner  of  war;  mustered  out 
July  i,  1865  ;  died  since  the  war. 

DEVORE,  HARVEY;  died  since  the  war. 

DUNCAN,  WILLIAM  ;  killed  at  Chickamauga,  September 
20,  1863. 

FANCHER,  GEORGE;  killed  at  Chickamauga,  Septem- 
ber 20,  1863. 

FOSTER,  CALVIN  B. ;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  Novem- 
ber 29,  1863. 

FREEMAN,  WILLIAM;  was  wounded  in  battle;  trans- 
ferred to  veteran  reserve  corps ;  died  at  Huron,  Ind.,  October 
1 6,  1899. 

FRIZELL,  JAMES  H. ;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  April  n, 
1863. 

GABBERT,  ELISHA  E. ;  resides  at  Stonington,  111. 

GALLAHER,  WILSON  S. ;  not  heard  from. 

CALLING,  THOMAS;    resides  at  Strasbnrg,  111. 

HALL,  WILLIAM  F. ;  has  been  county  superintendent 
of  schools  in  Pawnee  County,  Kan.,  and  now  resides  at  Gar- 
field,  Kan. 

HANSON,  GEORGE  W. ;  resides  at  Lawrence,  Kan. 

HANSON,  JOHN  W. ;  resides  at  Ellsworth,  Kan. 

HANSON,  MORGAN  ;  not  heard  from. 


374  COMPANY  G. 

HANSON,  JAMES ;  enlisted  February  9,  1864 ;  transferred 
to  21  st  Illinois. 

HELMS,  GEORGE;  died  at  Nashville,  Term.,  June  25, 
1863. 

HELMS,  JONATHAN  ;  discharged  February  2,  1863  ;  died 
at  Cold  Spring,  111.,  in  1890. 

HOPKINS,  WILLIAM;  resided  at  Hopkins,  111.;  now 
dead. 

JARNAGIN,  LEE;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve  corps 
February  n,  1864. 

KEELER,  HENRY  S. ;  died  September  12,  1869. 

KELLY,  HUGH  A. ;  resides  at  Shelbyville,  111. 

KELLY,  JOHN  S.;  enlisted  February  i,  1864;  trans- 
ferred to  2ist  Illinois  ;  now  resides  at  Shelbyville,  111. 

KERNS,  GEORGE  W. ;  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company 
G  on  August  15,  1862.  He  was  born  in  Fairfield,  Ohio,  in 
1842.  He  served  with  the  regiment  and  was  mustered  out 
with  it  in  June,  1865.  Having  been  brought  up  on  a  farm, 
he  returned  to  that  occupation,  and  he  now  resides  at  Mode, 
Shelby  County,  111. 

KING,  ELZA  O. ;  resides  at  Herrick,  111. 

KINSLER,  JOHN;  died  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  April  i,  1863. 

LAWTON,  JAMES;  discharged  August  14,  1864;  died  at 
Litchfield,  Minn. 

LOUER,  ANDREW  J. ;  died  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  Novem- 
ber 5,  1862. 

LOUER.  DAVID ;  died  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  November  28, 
1862. 

LOWRY,  THOMAS ;  discharged  November  25,  1862;  died 
since  the  war. 

McNEAR,  GEORGE  W. ;  discharged  February  20,  1863 ; 
resides  at  Springfield,  111. 

McNEAR,  SIMON  A. ;  died  at  Chattanooga,  November  26. 
1863,  of  wounds  received  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 

McGUIRE,  PATRICK ;  not  heard  from. 

MATTOX,  JUSTUS  ;  reported  as  dead. 

MAY,  JAMES;  enlisted  November  25,  1863;  died  October 
23,  1883. 


COMPANY  G.  375 

MAY,  WILLIAM  C. ;  enlisted  November  25,  1863 ;  trans- 
ferred to  2ist  Illinois;  resides  at  Britton,  Okla. 

MESNARD,  SOLOMON  ;  mustered  out  May  29,  1865  ;  re- 
ported dead. 

MILLER,  DAVID  O. ;  died  at  Tower  Hill,  111.,  February 

22,    I9OO. 

MURRAY,  ROSALVO  D. ;  discharged  December  19, 
1862;  not  since  heard  from. 

NANCE,  JOHN  ;  was  a  prisoner  of  war ;  mustered  out  May 
26,  1865 ;  resides  at  Wellington,  Kan. 

NANCE,  THOMAS  J. ;  killed  at  Chickamauga,  September 
20,  1863. 

NIGH,  ISAAC ;  died  at  Humbolt,  Kan.,  in  1899. 

PHILBROOK,  FLAVIUS  J.;  born  in  Lincoln  County, 
Ohio,  in  1836.  At  fifteen  years  of  age  he  removed  with  his 
parents  to  a  farm  near  Vandalia,  111.,  where  he  attended  school, 
and  later  taught  school.  In  1858  he  married  Miss  Sarah  E. 
Carter,  and  located  on  a  farm  at  Todds  Point,  111.  He  en- 
listed at  the  organization  of  his  company,  and  for  three  years 
served  his  country  in  the  most  faithful  manner,  eighteen 
months  of  which  time  was  spent  in  Confederate  prisons.  He 
knew  from  bitter  experience  the  terrors  of  Belle  Isle,  Libbey, 
Andersonville,  Florence  and  Corinth.  In  1871  he  removed 
with  his  family  to  Normal,  111.,  for  educational  advantages  of 
his  children.  In  1896  his  wife  died,  and  on  February,  1898, 
he  answered  the  last  roll  call.  Four  children  survive  him, 
Charles  F.,  superintendent  of  schools  at  Rochelle,  111. ;  Mrs. 
Gertrude  Otto,  of  Independence,  Kan. ;  Mrs.  Belle  Hogg,  of 
Drayton,  N.  D.,  and  Miss  Cora  Philbrook,  of  Normal,  111. 

PIKE,  DAVIS ;  reported  as  residing  at  Narkis,  Neb. 

PRICKET,  WILLIAM  R.;  not  heard  from  since  muster 
out. 

PUCKET,  HENRY  ;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  January  9,  1863. 

PURKEY,  JOSEPH  J. ;  born  in  Franklin  County,  Ind.  He 
had  no  opportunities  of  education,  and  received  none.  He  en- 
listed with  his  company,  and  served  with  it  until  he  was  mus- 
tered out.  He  now  resides  at  Thayer,  Kan.,  and  is  a  farmer 
by  occupation. 


376  COMPANY  G. 

READ,  ROBERT  F. ;  discharged  April  13,  1863  ;  resides  at 
Tower  Hill,  111. 

REEDER,  ISAAC  N. ;  died  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  January 
21,  1863. 

RENNER,  JOHN;  born  in  Shelby  County,  111.,  June  9, 
1844.  The  first  nine  months  of  his  service  was  spent  in  the 
hospital,  as  patient,  nurse  and  cook,  but  during  the  last  two 
years  he  never  missed  a  roll  call,  and  was  ready  for  every  duty. 
After  the  war  he  attended  the  common  schools,  and  college  at 
Westfield,  111.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Kezziah  Richman  in 
1869.  He  is  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  and 
is  an  active  lay  worker,  having  been  twice  president  of  his 
County  Sunday  School  Association.  He  has  also  been  presi- 
dent of  the  Farmers'  Alliance  of  his  county,  and  served  a  term 
as  probate  judge.  His  present  address  is  Rush  Center,  Kan. 

REYNOLDS,  CHARLES  B.;  discharged  February  2, 
1863;  reported  at  Quincy,  111. 

RICHARDS,  JOHN  T. ;  died  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  February 
25,  1863. 

SCOTT,  JAMES  W. ;  born  March  n,  1823,  in  Licking 
County,  Ohio.  His  father,  Peter  P.  Scott,  a  native  of  New 
Jersey,  removed  to  Tazewell  County,  Illinois,  in  1828,  where 
James  W.  attended  school  in  the  log  school  houses  when  "sub- 
scriptions" enough  could  be  raised.  He  learned  the  cooper's 
trade,  was  married  in  1847,  went  to  California  in  1850  by  the 
overland  route,  but  returned  by  steamer  via  Panama  and  New 
York.  In  1852  he  located  on  a  farm  in  Shelby  County.  111. 
He  served  as  teamster,  and  did  faithful  service  until  crippled 
by  an  unruly  mule  team,  which  disabled  him  for  field  service. 
He  was  discharged  on  account  of  disability  February  5,  1865. 
On  returning  home  he  resumed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer, 
and  soon  became  known  as  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and 
enterprising  farmers  of  the  county,  often  taking  the  premiums 
at  the  county  fairs.  He  has  long  since  retired  from  active 
farm  life,  and  resides  in  a  beautiful  suburban  home  at  Shelby- 
ville,  111.,  but  still  retains  an  active  interest  in  his  comrades. 

SHANKS,  RICHARD ;  died  at  Covington,  Ky.,  November 
19,  1862. 


J.  C.  K.  YOUNGKEN. 


EDWARD   PIXLEY. 

A.  SHEPARD. 
ALL  OF  COMPANY  C. 


G.  H.  TURNER. 


COMPANY  G.  377 

SHARROCK,  AMOS  J. ;  mustered  out  May  29,  1865 ;  died 
at  National  Military  Home  near  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  in  1899. 

SHARROCK,  FRANCIS  M. ;  enlisted  November  25,  1863  ; 
transferred  to  2ist  Illinois  ;  now  resides  at  Rich  Hill,  Mo. 

SHARROCK,  JOHN  W. ;  born  at  Beardstown,  111.,  August 
25,  1841.  When  two  years  old  his  parents  removed  to  Texas, 
but  fearing  civil  war  over  the  slavery  question,  returned  to 
Illinois  in  1855,  an<^  settled  near  Shelbyville.  His  father  and 
brother  enlisted  in  1861  at  Lincoln's  first  call  in  the  9th  Illi- 
nois Infantry,  the  father  dying  in  the  service.  He  was  with 
the  regiment  in  all  its  marches,  and  with  it  in  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga  in  which  he  was  severely  wounded  in  his  right 
elbow  joint,  a  little  before  the  close  of  the  action.  The  story 
of  Comrade  Sharrock's  sufferings  from  his  wound,  his  journey 
over  the  mountains  to  Bridgeport,  the  kind  treatment  of  cit- 
izens and  comrades,  though  interesting  as  a  romance,  would 
take  too  much  space.  After  many  weeks  in  the  hospital  he1 
returned  to  his  company  and  did  full  duty  till  the  final  muster 
out.  He  now  resides  at  Erie,  Kan.,  where  he  will  be  glad  to 
meet  any  of  his  old  comrades. 

SMITH,  JOHN  ;  now  resides  at  Fancher,  111. 

SMITH,  WESLEY;  not  heard  from  since  muster  out. 

STOUT,  THOMAS  F. ;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  October  9, 
1863,  of  wounds  received  at  Chickamauga. 

TOLLEY,  ISAAC  S. ;  resides  at  Hillsdale,  Mich. 

TUTTLE,  ELISHA ;  resides  at  Shelbyville,  111. 

WALLIS,  JOHN ;  died  of  wounds  at  Resaca,  Ga.,  May  15, 
1864. 

WALLIS,  WILLIAM ;  resides  at  Shelbyville,  111. 

WATERS,  JEREMIAH  H. ;  died  at  Richmond,  Ky.,  De- 
cember 21,  1862. 

WAKEFIELD,  CHARLES ;  born  in  Shelby  County,  111., 
in  1840.  He  lived  on  a  farm  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war.  He  enlisted  in  Company  G  at  its  organization,  and  was 
engaged  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  on  September  19,  1863, 
when  he  received  a  gun  shot  wound  in  the  left  arm,  near  the 
shoulder.  He  was  taken  in  the  ambulance  .to  Chattanooga, 
then  went  on  foot  to  Bridgeport,  forty-five  miles,  where  he 


378  COMPANY  G. 

took  a  train  to  Nashville  to  the  hospital.  After  he  recovered 
from  his  wound  he  returned  to  the  regiment,  and  was  with  it 
during  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  in  the  battle  of  Nashville. 
Since  the  war  he  has  been  engaged  in  general  farming  near 
Lakewood,  111. 


COMPANY  H. 


COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

HENRY  PRATT,  Captain,  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  came  to 
Delavan,  111.,  in  1850.  He  owned  a  beautiful  and  productive 
farm  near  there,  and  was  a  prominent  man  in  the  county.  He 
was  supervisor  for  several  years.  At  the  organization  of  the 
]  1 5th,  he  left  his  wife  and  two  little  boys  to  enter  the  army, 
and  at  the  end  of  six  months  both  children  were  dead.  This 
calamity  made  him  sad  and  melancholy,  and  a  very  severe 
sickness  followed  while  he  was  at  Richmond,  Ky.  His  fond- 
est hopes  being  blasted  and  his  health  remaining  infirm,  he 
tendered  his  resignation  in  the  spring  of  1863,  and  returned 
home.  He  never  regained  his  former  health,  and  after  sev- 
eral years'  residence  in  Kansas,  was  killed  by  a  vicious  bull. 

JOHN  REARDON,  Captain,  was  born  at  Thomastown, 
County  Tipperary,  Ireland,  January  13,  1840.  He  came  to 
America  in  1850,  and  lived  in  Rhode  Island  for  seven  years, 
during  which  time  he  was  employed  in  one  of  the  large  cotton 
mills  of  that  State.  In  1857  he  removed  to  Delavan,  111.,  and 
located  on  a  farm.  August  9,  1862,  when  the  Civil  War  had 
reached  fever  heat,  he,  true  to  his  adopted  country,  enlisted  as 
private  and  assisted  in  the  organization  of  Company  H  and 
was  mustered  into  service  as  second  lieutenant.  April  21, 
1863,  he  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant,  and  May  10, 
1863,  was  mustered  as  captain  of  the  company.  Upon 
the  opening  of  the  Atlanta  campaign  Captain  Reardon 
again  distinguished  himself  in  the  charge  led  by  his  regi- 
ment upon  Tunnel  Hill  and  Buzzard  Roost  May  7,  1863. 
He  was  also  engaged  at  Resaca  and  other  battles  during  the 
Atlanta  campaign,  and  also  participated  in  the  movement  of 
the  4th  corps  in  Tennessee,  and  the  campaign  and  battle  cf 


380  COMPANY  H. 

Nashville.  After  the  war  Captain  Reardon  settled  in  Tazewell 
County,  111.,  where  he  became  a  successful  farmer.  He  was 
for  many  years  a  highly  esteemed  and  leading  citizen  of  Boyn- 
ton,  111.,  and  occupied  many  positions  of  trust.  He  organized 
the  first  post  of  the  G.  A.  R.  in  his  town,  and  was  its  first 
commander.  In  1882  he  removed  to  Peoria,  111.,  and  in  1887 
to  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  where  he  soon  became  well  and  favorably 
known  as  a  leading  citizen.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Military 
Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  Commandery  of  California. 
He  was  devoted  to  his  army  associations,  and  rarely  missed  a 
meeting  of  the  G.  A.  R.  or  Loyal  Legion,  where  his  presence 
was  always  most  welcome.  While  in  the  prime  of  his  years 
and  usefulness,  he  was  unexpectedly  summoned  to  join  the 
comrades  who  were  killed  by  his  side  at  Chickatnauga,  Nash- 
ville, and  more  than  a  dozen  other  great  battles,  and  he  an- 
swered the  call  as  might  be  expected  of  a  gallant  soldier,  a 
valued  citizen,  a  true  comrade  and  a  companion.  His  family 
now  reside  at  No.  236  North  Flower  St.,  Los  Angeles. 

SILAS  PARKER,  First  Lieutenant,  was  so  overcome  by 
sorrow  because  of  the  death  of  an  only  son  that  he  felt  justice 
to  the  Government  required  his  resignation,  which  he  ten- 
dered March  12,  1863.  He  then  returned  to  Delavan  and  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  medicine,  but  lived  only  a  few  years. 

JOSEPH  J.  SLAUGHTER,  First  Lieutenant,  was  born  in 
Ohio  in  1833.  His  ancestors  were  from  Virginia.  He  came 
to  Delavan,  111.,  in  the  early  '50%  a  splendid  specimen  of  vig- 
orous manhood,  a  veritable  hero  in  promoting  what  he  thought 
to  be  right.  He  married  Miss  Mary  Cook,  a  woman  of  su- 
perior intelligence.  They  have  four  children,  their  daughter 
Julia  being  the  wife  of  Mr.  Breidenthal,  a  prominent  State 
official  of  Kansas.  Lieutenant  Slaughter  enlisted  as  private, 
was  quickly  made  sergeant,  and  later  lieutenant.  During  the 
absence  of  the  officers  of  Company  A  he  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  that  company,  being  in  command  of  it  at  the 
battles  of  Resaca  and  Nashville.  By  his  bravery  and  courtesy 
he  secured  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  the  members  of 
the  company.  He  now  lives  on  a  farm  near  Altamont,  Kan., 
broken  in  health. 


COMPANY  H.  381 

STEPHEN  K.  HATFIELD,  Second  Lieutenant,  was  born 
and  brought  up  in  Ohio,  and  came  to  Tazewell  County,  111., 
in  1851.  He  enlisted  as  private  in  Company  H,  and  was  soon 
promoted  to  be  second  lieutenant.  He  was  a  faithful  and 
efficient  officer,  and  always  willing  for  any  duty,  however 
severe.  He  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  and 
was  captured  July  9,  1864,  near  Greenwood  Mills,  Ga.,  to- 
gether with  Shaw,  Large,  Sloop  and  Oliver  of  Company  A, 
and  Watson  and  Brighton  of  Company  H.  He  remained  with 
the  enemy  five  days,  when  an  opportunity  presented  itself  and 
he  made  his  escape,  reaching  our  lines  after  two  days.  Lieu- 
tenant Hatfield  was  married  before  the  war  to  Miss  Eliza 
Leach,  a  woman  of  culture  and  strong  convictions,  and  not 
afraid  to  express  them.  In  the  summer  of  1864.  he  was  as- 
signed to  the  command  of  the  regimental  pioneers,  and  did 
efficient  service  in  repairing  roads  and  building  bridges  to 
make  way  for  the  passage  of  our  army.  On  his  return  home 
he  was  elected  county  superintendent  of  schools,  serving  two 
terms  of  four  years  each.  He  was  internal  revenue  storekeeper 
for  several  years.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican ;  in  practice,  a 
teetotaler ;  in  faith,  a  Christian. 

SERGEANTS. 

PRESLEY  H.  HERRIOTT,  First  Sergeant,  was  born  in 
Ohio.  Being  of  a  jolly  disposition,  he  had  many  friends  in 
the  company,  and  no  enemies.  His  merry-making  helped  to 
lift  the  burden  on  the  march,  and  scatter  pleasure  in  the  camp. 
As  a  soldier,  he  stood  well  in  the  front  rank.  Being  a  little 
over  six  feet  high,  the  boys  called  him  Colonel  Hecker.  He 
now  resides  at  Evans,  Colo.,  of  which  place  he  is  postmaster. 

DAVID  PORTER,  First  Sergeant,  a  well-drilled  soldier; 
was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant  44th  United  States  colored 
troops,  in  which  he  served  with  distinction.  After  the  war 
he  removed  to  Savannah,  Ga.,  where  he  died  several  years  ago. 

JAMES  T.  McDOWELL ;  born  in  Franklin  County,  Pa., 
and  came  to  Delavan,  111.,  some  years  before  the  war.  He  was 
a  fine  soldier  and  pleasant  gentleman,  an  upright  man  and 
worthy  citizen.  During  our  reconnaissance  in  front  of  Dalton, 


382  COMPANY  H. 

in  the  latter  part  of  February,  1864,  he  was  killed,  being  shot 
through  the  head. 

THEODORE  VAN  HAGUE  was  a  native  of  New  York, 
and  came  to  Illinois  some  time  before  the  war,  first  to  Jersey- 
ville,  and  then  to  Delavan.  He  was  a  manly,  faithful  soldier, 
prompt  in  every  duty  and  obedient  to  every  command.  After 
the  war  Sergeant  Van  Hague  followed  the  carpenter  trade. 
He  died  at  Delavan  in  January,  1896. 

ROSWELL  WILLCOX  ;  mustered  as  a  corporal,  but  soon 
made  sergeant.  His  geniality  and  ready  wit  made  him  a  favor- 
ite, and  his  efficiency  as  a  soldier  secured  him  promotion  to 
first  lieutenant  in  the  44th  United  States  colored  troops.  When 
last  heard  from  he  was  in  Burr  Oak,  Michigan. 

HENRY  R.  GALE;  born  in  Rhode  Island  and  came  to 
Delavan  soon  after  the  settlement  of  that  place.  He  left  a 
family  to  serve  his  country,  and  did  it  faithfully.  He  now  re- 
sides at  Essex,  Iowa. 

WILLIAM  GLEASON ;  mustered  as  a  corporal,  but  soon 
became  a  sergeant.  He  was  not  rugged,  but  was  generally 
ready  for  his  share  of  duty.  He  successfully  passed  the  mili- 
tary examinations  for  promotion,  but  failed  to  be  called.  He 
now  resides  at  Ansley,  Neb. 

LEWIS  M.  PATTERSON  was  a  manly  soldier,  honorable 
and  faithful.  He  is  now  a  highly  respected  farmer  and  re- 
sides near  Delavan,  111. 

CORPORALS. 

BURNHAM  VINCENT  was  born  in  the  Granite  State  and 
came  to  Illinois  in  early  life.  On  account  of  age,  he  was 
unable  to  stand  the  hardships  of  the  field,  and  was  soon  de- 
tailed for  hospital  service.  After  the  war  he  went  to  Larned, 
Kan.,  where  he  died  January  i,  1900. 

DAVID  A.  JOHNSON  was  not  strong  enough  for  active 
field  duty  and  was  detailed  as  a  printer  in  Nashville.  After 
the  war  he  resided  at  Pekin,  111.,  until  his  death  about  the 
year  1885. 

PERCIVAL  PLACE  left  a  wife  and  family  to  become  a 
soldier.  After  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  he  was  sent  to  the 


COMPANY  H.  '  383 

hospital  and  was  discharged  for  disability  May  14,  1864.  He 
died  at  Delavan,  September  26,  1890. 

JAMES  L.  FISHER;  born  in  Tazewell  County,  111.  He 
left  a  wife  and  young  son  to  enter  the  army.  He  was  wounded 
by  a  fragment  of  a  shell  on  December  i6th  in  the  battle  of 
Nashville.  He  now  resides  near  Table  Rock,  Neb.,  a  farmer 
in  good  circumstances. 

SAMUEL  L.  LAMM;  wounded  at  Chickamauga;  now  re- 
sides at  Larned,  Kan. 

WILLIAM  C.  WORK;  was  accidentally  killed  at  Green- 
wood, Ga.,  July  29,  1864. 

JAMES  P.  WHITE;  died  at  Chattanooga,  October  30, 
1863,  of  wounds  received  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 

WILLIAM  H.  WEATHERFORD ;  borrowed  from  Com- 
pany E ;  now  postmaster  at  Boody,  111. 

JOHN  WREN ;  borrowed  of  Company  D ;  now  resides  at 
Pleasant  View,  111. 

ZEBOIM  CARTTER  PATTEN,  Lieutenant  I49th  New 
York  Volunteers,  was  born  May  3,  1840,  in  the  town  of  Will- 
na,  Jefferson  County,  N.  Y.  He  came  of  Revolutionary,  New 
England  stock.  His  maternal  grandfather,  Zeboim  Cartter, 
was  a  colonel  in  the  New  York  militia  in  the  War  of  1812,  and 
got  the  double  "t"  in  his  name  from  an  English  ancestor,  to 
whom  it  was  given  by  act  of  Parliament,  for  distinguished 
services  in  the  royal  navy.  Lieutenant  Patten  emigrated  to 
Tazewell  County,  111.,  in  1860,  and  located  at  Delavan.  In 
August,  1862,  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Captain  Henry  Pratt's 
Company  H  in  the  H5th  Illinois.  He  served  as  company  clerk 
for  some  time,  keeping  the  company  books,  making  the  com- 
pany rolls  and  generally  serving  as  captain's  assistant.  In 
that  way  his  gun  and  accoutrements,  not  being  used,  were 
kept  bright  and  clean.  While  at  Danville,  Ky.,  after  a  hard 
march,  when  the  boys  were  not  looking  their  best,  the  com- 
mand was  ordered  out  for  inspection  by  General  Baird.  The 
general  was  delighted  with  the  bright  appearance  of  Private 
Patten's  gun  and  buckles,  and  ordered  him  to  step  to  the  front, 
as  an  example  to  the  rest.  No  one  in  the  company  felt  the 
injustice  of  the  general's  compliment  more  than  Private  Patten 


384  COMPANY  H. 

himself,  and  after  that  he  insisted  upon  taking  his  full  share 
of  every  duty,  however  severe.  At  the  battle  of  Chickamauga 
he  was  corporal  and  color  guard,  and  consequently  occupied 
a  most  exposed  position  in  the  regiment.  In  the  first  charge 
on  Snodgrass  Ridge,  a  minie  ball  struck  him  in  the  instep  of 
the  left  foot,  passing  through  and  coming  out  just  below  the 
ankle  joint ;  he  was  one  of  the  first  men  of  Company  H  to  be 
wounded.  He  was  taken  from  the  field  a  few  minutes  after 
he  was  hurt,  and  hauled  in  an  ambulance  through  McFar- 
land's  Gap  to  Chattanooga,  and  left  in  the  old  Episcopal 
Church,  which  was  then  occupied  as  a  hospital.  Here  he  was 
the  unwilling  witness  of  numerous  amputations  of  legs  and 
arms,  getting  no  attention  himself,  except  a  promise  that  they 
would  cut  off  his  foot  just  as  soon  as  the  worse  cases  were 
disposed  of.  The  next  morning  Surgeon  Jones  came  to  his 
relief,  however,  and  assured  him  that  his  foot  should  not  be 
amputated.  Two  days  later  he  started  over  Walden's  Ridge 
in  an  army  wagon  and  after  three  days'  journey  over  the 
mountains  and  down  the  Sequatchie  Valley  to  Bridgeport, 
Ala.,  he  was  given  railroad  transportation  thence  to  the  hos- 
pitals at  Nashville.  When  able  to  travel,  he  was  granted  a 
furlough  to  his  old  home  in  Jefferson  County,  N.  Y.  After 
somewhat  recovering  from  his  wounds,  he  was  discharged 
from  the  service  to  accept  a  commission  as  second  lieutenant 
tendered  him  by  Governor  Horatio  Seymour  of  New  York, 
and  while  on  crutches  he  recruited  part  of  a  company,  and  was 
assigned  to  Company  H,  I49th  New  York  Infantry.  He 
joined  his  new  regiment  while  it  was  engaged  in  the  battle 
of  Resaca,  and  at  once  went  into  action.  He  was  not  long  in 
the  fight,  however,  until  he  was  again  wounded,  receiving  a 
shot  in  the  left  arm.  He  continued  with  the  i4Qth  New  York 
in  its  marches,  skirmishes  and  battles  from  Resaca  to  Kene- 
saw  Mountain.  His  Chickamauga  wound  becoming  so  irri- 
tated by  the  marching  that  he  was  disabled  for  further  ser- 
vices, his  resignation  was  accepted  July  5,  1864.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Delavan,  111.,  where  he  remained  until  the  spring  of 
1865,  when  he  returned  to  Chattanooga  as  a  clerk  in  the  quar- 
termaster's department,  in  which  he  continued  until  the  close 


COMPANY  H.  385 

of  the  war.  He  then  engaged  in  the  book  and  stationery  busi- 
ness in  Chattanooga,  in  which  he  continued  ten  years,  when 
he  became  proprietor  and  editor  of  the  Chattanooga  Daily 
Times.  In  1876  he  disposed  of  his  newspaper,  to  engage  in 
the  manufacture  of  proprietary  medicines,  and  ever  since  then 
has  been  the  principal  stockholder  and  president  of  the  Chat- 
tanooga Medicine  Co.,  one  of  the  largest  and  wealthiest  pro- 
prietary medicine  companies  in  the  country.  In  addition  to 
managing  so  large  a  manufacturing  concern,  Comrade  Patten 
has  found  time  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  improvement  in  the 
New  South,  and  has  been  active  in  all  the  enterprises  for  the 
advancement  of  his  adopted  city.  He  was  married  in  1870  to 
Miss  Mary  Miller  Rawlings,  daughter  of  Hon.  Daniel  R.  Raw- 
lings  of  Chattanooga.  His  wife  died  in  1875,  and  he  remains 
a  widower.  He  has  one  daughter,  the  wife  of  Mr.  J.  T.  Lup- 
ton,  who,  with  her  husband,  are  all  who  remain  of  Lieutenant 
Patten's  family,  occupying  one  of  the  handsomest  of  Chatta- 
nooga's homes  on  Fourth  Street.  Lieutenant  Patten  is  a 
member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  and  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  and  gives 
a  cordial  greeting  to  all  the  comrades  who  pass  his  way. 

MUSICIANS. 

ELIAS  O.  JONES;  discharged  December  24,  1862;  died 
in  Chicago',  June  n,  1894. 

WILLIAM  T.  BACON ;  died  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  April  14, 
1863. 

WAGONER. 

REUBEN  WELLER ;  mustered  in  as  wagoner  of  the  com- 
pany. He  received  severe  injuries  at  Danville,  Ky.,  because 
of  which  he  was  discharged  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  in  March,  1863. 
From  these  injuries  he  has  never  recovered,  being  now,  as  he 
expresses  it,  a  physical  wreck.  He  now  resides  at  Rich 
Hill,  Mo. 

PRIVATES. 

AKIN,  JAMES;  discharged  September  i,  1863;  resides  at 
Buckhart,  111. 

ALBRIGHT,  WILLIAM  ;' discharged  December  15,  1862; 
resides  at  Clarence,  Shelby  County,  Mo. 


386  COMPANY  H. 

ALBRO,  JOHN  H. ;  was  in  Pioneer  Corps  ;  resides  at  Wel- 
lington, 111. 

ARNOLD,  GEORGE  H. ;  died  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  March 
7,  1863. 

BIRD,  PHILIP  A. ;  transferred  to  engineer  corps  August 
24,  1864 ;  supposed  to  be  at  Lawrence,  Kan. 

BOSE,  ALVIS  H. ;  borrowed  from  Company  F ;  discharged 
March  31,  1863;  died  at  Glenwood,  Mo.,  January  14,  1900. 

BOSE,  WILLIAM  S. ;  a  minor,  discharged  on  habeas  cor- 
pus November  3,  1862. 

BRANSON,  CALEB;  mustered  out  May  20,  1865;  resi- 
dence not  known. 

BRIGGS,  ERASTUS  M.;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve 
corps  May  10,  1864;  now  nearly  80. years  old  and  resides  at 
Delavan,  111. 

BRIGHTON,  ISAAC  N. ;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  May 
31,  1864,  of  wounds  received  in  battle. 

BRIGHTON,  JONAS  V.;  enlisted  December  i,  1863; 
transferred  to  2ist  Illinois;  resides  at  Bakersfield,  Cal. 

CARROL,  JOHN  J. ;  died  in  Andersonville  prison  April 
22,  1864;  Grave  No.  666. 

CREAGER,  CHRISTIAN ;   resides  at  Waynesboro,  Pa. 

DAVIS,  JOSEPH ;  resides  at  Flandreau,  S.  D. 

FARMER,  BYNUM;  enlisted  October  n,  1862;  residence 
not  known. 

FARRAR,  JASPER  P. ;  resides  at  Pleasantview  111. 

FLEMING,  WILLIAM  ;  a  native  of  Ohio ;  was  a  good  sol- 
dier, and  is  now  a  successful  farmer  near  Delavan,  111. 

GOODALE,  SIMON  ;  discharged  April  3,  1863  ;  never  re- 
covered from  wounds  received  in  the  service  and  died  at  Paw- 
nee City,  Neb.,  September,  1885. 

GREEN,  JOHN  T. ;  was  an  excellent  soldier ;  resides  at 
Mackinaw,  111. 

GREEN,  WILLIAM  H. ;  was  severely  wounded  at  Chick- 
arnauga;  resides  at  Burton  View,  111. 

HISCOX,  EDWIN ;  not  being  able  for  field  duty,  did  spe- 
cial service  in  medical  department.  His  daughter  is  the  wife 


AMERICUS    GRAHAM. 

PHILIP  CLEMENTS,  1899.  PHILIP  CLEMENTS,  1862. 

BENJAMIN   RAMSEY.  MICHAEL  RAMSEY. 

ALL  OF  COMPANY  E. 


COMPANY  H.  387 

of  Lieutenant  Briggs  of  the  United  States  Army.  He  is  far 
advanced  in  years,  residing  at  Delavan,  111. 

JOHNSON,  JAMES;  died  at  Nashville,  Term.,  March  29, 
1863. 

JOHNSON,  LEWIS ;  was  severely  wounded  at  Chicka- 
mauga,  but  recovered  and  did  good  service  with  his  company. 

JONES,  JOHN  Y. ;  killed  at  Danville,  Ky.,  February  9, 
1863. 

JONES,  WILLIAM  T. ;  died  at  Tullahoma,  Term.,  August 
23,  1863. 

KELLAR,  GEORGE  J. ;  one  of  the  best  known  men  in 
the  regiment.  He  was  the  prince  of  foragers,  and  his  visits 
outside  the  line  were  never  postponed  on  account  of  orders. 
He  detested  authority  when  it  came  to  such  matters.  At  Rich- 
mond, Ky.,  Colonel  Moore  was  greatly  annoyed  by  depreda- 
tions upon  the  hen  roost  and  beehouse  of  a  citizen,  at  whose 
„  home  he  was  frequently  entertained.  The  guards  were  doubled, 
without  catching  the  offenders.  Finally  a  search  of  the  quar- 
ters was  ordered.  Kellar,  who  knew  most  about  it,  became 
one  of  the  searching  party  at  his  own  request,  and  was  the 
most  vigilant  of  the  lot.  After  searching  the  quarters  of  the 
men,  he  insisted  on  an  inspection  of  the  colonel's  kitchen  tent, 
which  resulted  in  finding  the  contents  of  a  bee  gum,  greatly 
to  the  chagrin  of  the  colonel.  No  punishment  could  deter  him 
from  his  tricks.  After  the  war  Kellar  returned  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Chattanooga,  and  married  a  widow,  whose  love  he 
had  won  while  soldiering  in  her  vicinity.  Though  wild,  as  a 
soldier,  he  became  a  steady,  good  citizen  and  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  He  removed  to  Chattanooga,  where  he  died 
in  1892. 

LAMM,  JOHN  W. ;  enlisted  September  30,  1864;  resides 
at  Jonesburg,  Kan. 

LEASER,  GEORGE  W. ;  was  severely  wounded  in  the 
battle  of  Chickamauga  from  which  he  suffered  greatly  the  rest 
of  his  life.  He  died  at  Armington,  111.,  February  22,  1882. 

MELL,  GEORGE;  resides  at  Baker,  Brown  County,  Kan. 

MYERS,  FRANK  H. ;  killed  at  Chickamauga,  September 
20,  1863. 


388  COMPANY  H. 

MYERS,  VALENTINE;  was  a  prisoner  of  war;  mustered 
out  July  9,  1865 ;  now  resides  at  Tazewell,  Tazewell  County, 
Illinois. 

OLSON,  SWAN ;  was  a  prisoner  of  war ;  reported  to  have 
returned  to  Sweden. 

PLACKETT,  ALONZO  K.,  a  brother  of  Joshua  S. ;  en- 
listed February  9,  1864;  was  transferred  to  the  2ist  Illinois; 
resides  at  Osage  City,  Kan. 

PLACKETT,  JOSHUA  S. ;  resides  at  Osage  City,  Kan. 

POLING,  PHILIP ;  now  resides  at  Pawnee  Station,  Bour- 
bon County,  Kan. 

PUGH,  LEANDER;  though  suffering  much  from  rheuma- 
tism, did  good  service  and  now  resides  at  Kingson  Mines,  111. 

QUINLAN,  JOHN ;  discharged  March  20,  1863 ;  now  re- 
sides at  Decatur,  111. 

ROBINSON,  GIFFORD  S. ;  born  in  Tazewell  County, 
Illinois,  May  28,  1843.  He  came  of  New  England  stock,  his., 
earliest  known  ancestor  being  William  Robinson,  who  settled 
in  Massachusetts  about  1635,  and  was  a  member  of  the  "An- 
cient and  Honorable  Artillery"  of  Boston.  His  grandfather, 
Seth  Robinson,  married  a  lineal  descendant  of  Myles  Standish, 
John  Alden  and  Priscilla  of  Plymouth  Colony.  Seth  Robin- 
son was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War  and  Gifford's  ma- 
ternal grandfather  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812.  His 
father,  Israel  W.  Robinson,  was  a  farmer  and  settled  in  Illi- 
nois about  the  year  1840.  Gifford's  youth  was  spent  attending 
the  Illinois  public  schools  and  working  on  his  father's  farm, 
until  he  enlisted  in  Company  H  on  August  12,  1862.  He  was 
with  the  regiment  in  all  its  service  from  that  time  until  the 
close  of  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  Near  the  close  of  that 
battle  he  went  to  the  rear  with  a  wounded  comrade,  and  on 
his  return  to  the  front,  a  short  time  afterwards,  he  found  the 
division  gone  and  a  large  part  of  the  ground  formerly  occupied 
by  it  in  the  possession  of  the  enemy.  It  was  about  sunset 
when  a  rebel  line  of  battle  advanced  across  the  ridsre  to 
the  west  of  the  point  occupied  by  Robinson,  Sergeant  Hous- 
ley,  of  Company  E,  and  some  others,  who  were  like  himself 
seeking  their  comrades ;  they  at  once  opened  upon  the  ap- 


COMPANY  H.  389 

preaching  Confederate  line,  receiving  a  brisk  fire  in  return. 
At  the  second  round  Private  Robinson  was  severely  wounded 
through  the  upper  part  of  the  right  tibia.  Finding  he  could 
not  use  his  leg,  he  dragged  himself  some  distance  towards 
the  rear,  and  was  lying  on  the  ground  near  the  spot  occupied 
by  the  22d  Michigan,  89th  Ohio  and  2ist  Ohio  when  they  were 
captured.  He  dragged  himself  farther  towards  the  Snodgrass 
House  during  the  night,  and  in  the  morning  learned  for  the 
first  time  that  our  army  had  fallen  back  and  that  he  was  a 
prisoner.  He  was  carried  to  the  house  by  two  of  our  men, 
who  were  prisoners,  and  laid  under  a  tree  with  many  others  of 
our  wounded.  A  few  days  later  he  was  taken  to  the  Cloud 
Springs  Hospital.  It  was  just  a  week  after  he  was  wounded 
when  he  received  his  first  surgical  examination  and  treat- 
ment. On  September  29th  he  was  sent  into  Chattanooga  un- 
der a  flag  of  truce,  and  remained  there  during  the  siege.  About 
the  middle  of  December  he  was  sent  to  Nashville,  and  later 
was  given  a  furlough  to  his  home,  after  which  he  was  in  hos- 
pital at  Quincy,  111.,  but  being  disabled  for  the  service,  was 
discharged  May  27,  1864.  He  was  compelled  to  use  crutches 
for  more  than  two  years.  After  leaving  the  army  he  taught 
school  a  while,  attended  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University 
a  few  years,  and  then  spent  two  years  in  Washington  Univer- 
sity at  St.  Louis,  from  which  institution  he  wras  graduated  in 
the  law  department  and  located  for  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion at  Storm  Lake,  Iowa,  in  1869.  After  eighteen  years  of 
successful  practice,  in  which  time  he  had  served  as  county 
attorney,  mayor,  member  of  the  Legislature  and  State  senator, 
he  was  elected  in  1887  a  justice  of  the  Iowa  Supreme  Court  for 
six  years  and  was  re-elected  in  1893  for  a  similar  term,  serving 
in  all  twelve  years  in  that  exalted  position.  On  retiring  from 
the  bench  in  the  autumn  of  1899,  Judge  Robinson  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  partnership  with  his  son  at 
Sioux  City,  Iowa.  He  was  not  permitted,  however,  to  remain 
long  in  private  life,  for  soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  year 
1900  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Iowa  State  Board  of 
Control,  a  board  of  three  members  which  has  the  management 
of  all  the  penitentiaries,  hospitals  for  the  insane,  and  other 


390  COMPANY  H. 

benevolent  and  charitable  institutions  of  the  State,  the  office 
of  the  board  being  in  the  Capitol  at  Des  Moines.  He  was 
married  in  April,  1872,  to  Miss  Jeannette  E.  Gorham,  who 
had  been  four  years  preceptress  in  the  Kansas  State  Normal 
School  at  Emporia.  From  this  union  four  children  were  born, 
three  sons  and  a  daughter.  Judge  Robinson  has  for  several 
years  been  a  lecturer  in  the  law  department  of  the  Iowa  State 
University,  which  institution  conferred  upon  him  the  degree 
of  LL.  D.  He  is  now  residing  in  Sioux  City,  Iowa. 

RATHBUN,  ELIAS;  now  resides  at  Whiting,  Iowa. 

REID,  JOHN  F. ;  died  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  May  17,  1863. 

RITCHIE,  JACOB;  discharged  December  13,  1862;  now 
reported  residing  at  Sherman,  Texas. 

ROBINSON,  ELMER  E.,  a  cousin  of  Judge  Robinson; 
mortally  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  September 
20,  1863. 

SUNDERLAND,  SAMUEL;  born  in  Ohio,  and  came  to 
Illinois  in  1852;  very  badly  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga, but  recovered  sufficiently  to  serve  till  the  final  muster 
out ;  now  resides  at  Delavan,  111.  Lieut.  Hatfield  says  he  owes 
his  life  to  Comrade  Sunderland  by  reason  of  care  of  him  in 
a  critical  illness. 

THOMPSON,  LORENZO  D. ;  now  in  the  Soldiers'  Home 
near  Quincy,  111. 

THORNTON,  WILLIAM  N. ;  died  March,  1863. 

TOPPING,  ALBERT;  transferred  to  engineer  corps  July 
27,  1864;  died  at  Logan,  Iowa,  November  28,  1899. 

TROLLOPE,  WESLEY ;  wounded  at  Chickamauga,  Sep- 
tember 20,  1863  ;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve  corps  Septem- 
ber 14,  1864;  now  resides  at  Waco,  Neb. 

TROLLOPE,  WILLIAM;  discharged  May  12,  1863;  now 
resides  at  Waco,  Neb. 

VAN  NEST,  HENRY  D. ;  discharged  May  6,  1863;  re- 
ported at  Claflin,  Barton  County,  Kan. 

WALDRON,  JOHN;  mortally  wounded  in  the  battle  of 
Chickamauga,  September  20,  1863,  and  left  on  the  battlefield. 

WILL,  JOHN;   died  at  Streator,  111.,  in  1894. 


COMPANY  H.  391 

WADE,  FRANCIS  A. ;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve 
corps  September  30,  1863 ;  reported  died  since  the  war. 

WATSON,  JAMES  W. ;  born  in  Missouri  in  1848,  and  died 
at  Delavan,  111.,  on  January  19,  1900,  after  a  very  brief  illness. 
At  the  time  of  his  enlistment  Comrade  Watson  resided  with 
Mr.  James  W.  Crawford  near  Delavan,  with  whom  he  made 
his  home  nearly  all  the  time  since  the  war,  and  at  whose  home 
he  died.  He  enlisted  at  the  organization  of  Company  H  and 
was  in  the  battles  of  Chickamanga,  Tunnel  Hill,  Buzzard 
Roost,  Resaca,  Chattanooga  and  Nashville,  in  all  of  which  his 
record  was  that  of  a  brave,  faithful  soldier,  universally  es- 
teemed for  his  devotion  to  duty.  He  was  followed  to  his  grave 
by  a  large  concourse  of  comrades  and  friends. 

WATSON,  THOMAS.  J. ;  was  discharged  October  7,  1864, 
because  of  wounds  received  in  battle ;  now  resides  at  Lincoln, 
Illinois. 

WHITSELL,  JOHN  D. ;  discharged  April  16,  1863;  re- 
ported as  having  died  in  Texas. 

WORK,  EDWARD;  discharged  April  3,  1863;  died  in 
Brown  County,  Kan.,  since  the  war. 

YOUNG,  ROBERT;  born  August  2,  1838,  in  Chester  Dis- 
trict, South  Carolina.  His  educational  opportunities  were 
very  limited.  He  removed  to  Christian  County,  111.,  residing 
in  Mosquito  Township  since  1855,  except  the  period  of  his 
army  service.  He  now  resides  on  a  farm  near  Illiopolis,  111. 
His  prison  life  is  given  among  the  miscellaneous  sketches  in 
this  history. 

ZEGLER,  EZRA ;  was  transferred  to  engineer  corps  July 
27,  1864;  not  since  heard  from. 

ZUMWALT,  JOHN  ;  discharged  April  3,  1863  ;  now  resides 
at  Watseka,  111. 

ZUMWALT,  WILLIAM  ;  died  at  Richmond,  Ky.,  January 
10,  1863. 


COMPANY  I. 


COMPANY  I. 

SIMON  P.  NEWMAN,  Captain  ;  resigned  March  24,  1863  ; 
died  some  time  after  the  war. 

CYRUS  L.  KINMAN,  Captain;  son  of  Colonel  Kinman; 
was  second  lieutenant  till  March  24,  1863.  He  commanded 
his  company  through  the  Chickamauga  campaign  and  battle, 
in  which  he  did  splendid  service.  He  resigned  October  19, 
1863.  Since  the  war  he  has  wandered  much  through  the  far 
West,  finally  settling  on  a  cattle  ranch  near  Princeton,  Idaho, 
which  is  his  postoffice  address. 

JAMES  A.  RUTHERFORD,  Captain,  was  active  in  the 
enlistment  and  organization  of  Company  I,  and  showed  patri- 
otism of  a  high  order  in  taking  the  place  of  an  enlisted  man 
among  men  he  liked,  rather  than  take  office  elsewhere.  He 
served  as  sergeant  till  March  23,  1863,  and  as  first  lieutenant 
from  that  date  till  his  promotion  to  the  captaincy  October  19, 

1863.  He  commanded  his  company  after  the  resignation  of 
Captain  Kinman  till  the  muster  out  of  the  regiment.    He  was 
with  his  company  in  all  its  service,  always  ready  for  any  duty 
required.    He  was  in  the  thickest  of  the  battle  at  Chickamauga 
and  was  conspicuous  for  the  courage  he  displayed.    Soon  after 
the  war  Captain  Rutherford  engaged  in  the  grocery  business 
at  Terre  Haute,  Ind. ;  later  he  was  several  years  in  business 
at  Fort  Scott,  Kan.    He  now  resides  at  No.  1528  Wyandotte 
Street,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

JAMES  S.  SAMUELS,  First  Lieutenant ;  resigned  March 
23,  1863 ;  now  resides  on  a  farm  near  Jacksonville,  111. 

SPENCER  P.  COMPTON,  First  Lieutenant;  promoted 
from  corporal  to  second  lieutenant  March  24,  1863,  and  to  the 
first  lieutenancy  October  19,  1863.  He  was  assigned  to  duty 
in  the  United  States  Veteran  Volunteer  Engineers  August  4, 

1864.  He  now  resides  in  Hamilton,  Ohio. 


COMPANY  I.  393 

GEORGE  H.  DUNAVAN,  First  Lieutenant;  promoted 
from  sergeant  August  4,  1864;  he  is  now  a  prosperous  farmer 
living  near  Jacksonville,  111. 

SERGEANTS. 

LEONIDAS  C.  EBY,  First  Sergeant;  discharged  in  the 
spring  of  1863 ;  present  residence  unknown. 

WALLACE  SAWYER,  First  Sergeant;  born  in  western 
Vermont  in  1839.  In  1842  his  parents  removed  to  Mason 
Village,  N.  H.,  where  Wallace  received  his  early  education. 
When  he  was  fourteen  years  old  they  returned  to  Vermont, 
and  located  at  Rutland.  Soon  after  that  Wallace  went  to 
Templeton,  Mass.,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  tinsmith. 
In  1857  he  removed  to  Springfield,  111.,  and  resided  in  that 
vicinity  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War.  He  enlisted 
August  6,  1862,  and  was  appointed  sixth  corporal.  In  the 
spring  of  1863  he  was  promoted  to  first  sergeant,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  until  mustered  out  of  the  service  with  the  regi- 
ment. He  was  conspicuous  for  his  faithfulness  in  the  discharge 
of  every  duty,  especially  in  the  battles  of  Chickamauga,  Resaca 
and  Nashville,  in  all  of  which  he  performed  gallant  service. 
He  was  married  in  1860  to  Miss  Alvira  Smith  of  Jacksonville, 
111.,  who  lived  but  a  short  time.  In  1873  he  married  Miss 
Alice  M.  Reeler,  and  was  soon  called  to  mourn  her  death.  In 
1875  he  married  Miss  Emma  J.  Bailley.  They  have  two 
daughters.  In  1868  he  removed  to  Monticello,  Minn.,  where 
he  now  resides,  being  county  agent  for  the  Minnesota  Soldiers' 
Relief  Fund. 

ALPHEAS  A.  BRADEN ;  mustered  out  May  22,  1865  ;  re- 
ported dead. 

BENJ.  F.  FINNEY ;  now  resides  at  Burlington,  Kan. 

WILLIAM  J.  MULLINS;  promoted  from  private;  re- 
ported dead. 

CHARLES  L.  SMITH ;  promoted  from  private ;  now  re- 
sides at  Ashland,  111. 

CORPORALS. 

THOMAS  D.  CHAPMAN  ;  transferred  to  2ist  Illinois  ;  re- 
ported dead. 


394  COMPANY  I. 

JOHN  J.  MASTERSOX;  discharged  February  2,  1863; 
resides  at  Girard,  Kan. 

JOHN  ALLEN;  discharged  February  2,  1863;  resides  at 
Hepler,  Crawford  County,  Kan. 

HENRY  BRIDGEMAN;  now  a  prosperous  and  highly 
respected  farmer  residing  at  Moweaqua,  111. 

GEORGE  W.  BURRIS;  discharged  March  19,  1863;  re- 
ported dead. 

JAMES  R.  BROWN  ;  now  resides  at  Sinclair,  111. 

LYCURGUS  EMERICK ;  resides  at  Jacksonville,  111. 

WILLIAM  H.  WILDAY;  resides  at  Meredosia,  111. 

WILLIAM  J.  WILLIAMSON ;  resides  at  Greenfield,  111. 

WILLIAM  A.  WAY ;  resides  at  Virginia,  111. 

DAVID  C.  FEESE  was  a  good  soldier  and  is  now  a  faith- 
ful Christian  citizen,  deservedly  proud  of  his  military  record. 
He  resides  at  Braymer,  Mo. 

ROBERT  CLINE;  resides  at  Camp  Point,  111. 

MUSICIAN. 

SAMUEL  P.  METCALF ;  was  a  prisoner  of  war ;  resides 
at  Monrovia,  Los  Angeles  County,  Cal. 

WAGONER. 

GEORGE  BROWN ;  last  heard  from  at  Evansville,  Mo. 
PRIVATES. 

ANDERSON,  HENRY  C. ;  reported  dead. 

ANGEL,  DAVID ;  was  a  prisoner  of  war ;  resides  at  Cha- 
pin,  111. 

BOYD,  JAMES  ;  died  at  Richmond,  Ky.,  December  2,  1862. 

BRIDGMAN,  MARTIN ;  reported  dead. 

BRIM,  PETER;  resides  at  Meredosia,  111. 

BURRIS,  WILSON ;  resides  at  Arenzville,  111. 

CLARK,  JOHN  S. ;  discharged  May  26,  1865,  on  account 
of  wounds  received  in  battle ;  residence  unknown. 

COWAND,  THOMAS  W. ;  reported  dead. 

COY,  STARRETT  B. ;  discharged  April  8,  1863. 

DUVALL,  HENRY:  last  heard  from  at  East  Lynn,  Cass 
County,  Mo. 


COMPANY  I.  395 

EADS,  WILLIAM  W. ;  resides  at  Jacksonville,  111. 

ELLIOTT,  JAMES ;  died  at  Quincy,  111.,  August  3,  1864, 
of  wounds  received  in  battle. 

FRICKS,  HERMAN ;  resides  at  Carder,  Mo. 

GHORM,  GEORGE  M.;  resides  at  Emporia,  Kan. 

GIGER,  WILLIAM  H. ;  born  in  Marion  County,  111.,  Jan- 
uary 9,  1845.  He  came  with  his  parents  to  Morgan  County, 
111.,  when  very  young.  He  served  with  the  regiment  through 
all  its  campaigns,  participating  with  it  in  all  its  battles,  and  was 
mustered  out  with  the  regiment  in  1865.  He  was  married 
to  Miss  Sarah  Ellen  Wilday  in  1869,  and  removed  to  Toledo, 
Tama  County,  Iowa,  in  1881,  where  he  resided  until  a  short 
time  before  his  death,  which  occurred  December  18,  1895. 

GILLILAND,  AMMON  B.  C. ;  resides  at  Quincy,  111. 

GILLILAND,  ANDREW  J. ;  died  since  muster  out,  at 
Kansas  City,  Mo. 

GRADY,  JAMES  H. ;  discharged  May  29,  1865 ;  died  at 
Jacksonville,  111. 

HIGGS,  WILLIAM  H. ;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  March 

21,   1864. 

HILLIG,  FREDERICK  A. ;  severely  wounded  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Chickamauga ;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve  corps  April 
10,  1864;  now  resides  at  Meredosia,  111. 

HOAGLAND,  CORNELIUS  ;  resides  at  Hale,  Mo. 

JACKSON,  ELIJAH;  mortally  wounded  and  left  on  the 
battlefield  at  Chickamauga,  September  20,  1863. 

JACKSON,  THOMAS ;  resides  at  Glennwood,  Kan. 

JACKSON,  THOMAS  H. ;  killed  at  Chickamauga,  Sep- 
tember 20,  1863. 

JAMES,  GEORGE;  now  resides  at  Meredosia,  111. 

JAMES,  GEORGE  W. ;  born  in  Cass  County,  111.,  March 
15,  1842,  and  was  brought  up  on  a  farm.  He  enlisted  in  1862 
in  Company  I  and  was  with  the  regiment  in  all  its  service, 
being  with  it  in  the  battles  of  Chickamauga,  Rocky  Face  Ridge, 
Resaca  and  Nashville.  He  was  married  October  25,  1865,  and 
now  resides  at  Meredosia,  111. 

JORDAN,  HENRY  B. ;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  March 
5,  1863. 


3%  COMPANY  I. 

KINMAN,  NEWTON  B. ;  a  son  of  Colonel  William  Kin- 
man ;  was  born  September  6,  1844,  in  Pike  County,  111.  He 
enlisted  as  a  recruit  in  Company  I  August  6,  1864,  and  faith- 
fully served  with  the  regiment  until  his  death  at  Huntsville, 
Ala.,  February  24,  1865.  His  body  was  sent  home  and  buried 
in  Diamond  Grove  Cemetery,  Jacksonville,  111. 

KLAFFEY,  WILLIAM  ;  died  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  April  30, 
1863. 

LONG,  JOHN  ;  died  at  Franklin,  Tenn.,  May  22,  1863. 

LONG,  MILTON;  discharged  April  21,  1863;  resides  at 
Markham,  111. 

LONG,  THOMAS;  not  heard  from. 

LUSK,  MILTON  H. ;  transferred  to  engineer  corps  August 
15,  1864;  resides  at  Williamsburg,  Kan. 

MADDOX,  SAMUEL ;  resides  at  Jacksonville,  111. 

MAJOR,  SAMUEL;  died  at  Richmond,  Ky.,  November 

^4,   1862. 

MASON,  HENRY;  died  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  February  4, 
1863. 

MAYS.  CHARLES;  discharged  April  5,  1863;  resides  at 
Arenzville,  111. 

MAYS,  ROBERT;  discharged  September  i,  1863;  resides 
at  Oakley,  Logan  County,  Kan. 

MOON,  EDWIN  ;  discharged  to  enlist  in  Mississippi  ma- 
rine brigade ;  now  resides  at  Glenwood,  Iowa. 

MORGAN,  HOWARD  W. ;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve 
corps ;  not  heard  from. 

NAYLOR,  WILLIAM  H. ;  born  in  Rutland,  Eng.,  in  1844, 
and  died  April  9,  1880.  He  came  to  America  and  settled  in 
Morgan  County,  111.,  in  1851,  where  he  lived  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  except  the  three  years  which  he  served  in  the  army. 
He  enlisted  in  Company  I  at  its  organization,  and  was  a  faith- 
ful soldier  throughout  its  service.  He  was  converted  in  1868 
and  remained  a  faithful  Christian  until  his  death. 

FARMER,  JAMES  A.;    not  heard  from. 

PITNER,  LEVI  N. ;  died  at  Jacksonville,  111.,  since  return 
from  the  army. 


COMPANY  I.  397 

RAHN,  JOHN  ;  discharged  April  5,  1863  ;  resides  at  Arenz- 
ville,  111. 

RHEA,  WILLIAM;  died  at  Danville,  Ky.,  January  24, 
1863. 

ROBERTS,  JOSEPH  J. ;  resides  at  Jacksonville,  111. 

SAMUELS,  TITUS  O. ;  reported  to  be  in  California. 

SCHOONOVER,  JACOB  L. ;  transferred  to  engineer 
corps  August  15,  1864;  resides  at  Jewell  City,  Kan. 

SHEPPERD,  THOMAS  W. ;  died  in  Confederate  prison  at 
Danville,  Va.,  December  18,  1863. 

SINCLAIR,  ROBERT  W. ;  died  May  10,  1871. 

SLATTON,  JOHN  T. ;  mortally  wounded  and  left  on  the 
field  at  Chickamauga,  September  20,  1863. 

SMITH,  JAMES  R. ;  resides  at  Quincy,  111. 

TELKEMEYER,  HENRY ;  killed  in  battle  at  Resaca,  Ga., 
May  14,  1864. 

VAN  CLEVE,  GEORGE  R. ;  enlisted  August  4,  1864;  re- 
ported to  be  dead. 

VAN  CLEVE,  PERRY  L. ;  is  now  a  successful  lawyer  re- 
siding at  Blue  Mound,  111. 

WEBSTER,  DANIEL;  resides  at  Meredosia,  111. 

WILCOX,  JOHN  R. ;  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  March  6, 
1863. 

WILD  AY,  JOHN ;  resides  at  Arenzville,  111. 

WILLIAMSON,  SAMUEL  E. ;   resides  at  Zenobia,  111. 

WILSON,  CHARLES  W. ;  now  resides  at  Anthony,  Har- 
per County,  Kan. 

YOUNG,  WILLIAM  F. ;  now  resides  on  a  farm  three  miles 
east  of  Fort  Scott,  Kan. 


COMPANY  K. 


COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

JAMES  STEELE,  Captain ;  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland, 
in  1835,  and  came  with  his  parents  to  America  when  quite 
young.  His  grandfather,  John  Steele,  was  in  the  Coldstream 
Guards  and  served  under  Wellington  in  the  wars  against  Na- 
poleon. Captain  Steele's  family  settled  near  Charlestown, 
Clarke  County,  Ind.,  where  his  youth  was  spent.  In  1853  he 
went  to  Springfield,  111.,  with  fifteen  cents,  his  only  capital,  to 
make  a  start  in  life.  He  worked  on  a  farm  in  summer  and 
went  to  school  in  winter  until  prepared  for  college,  and  then 
attended  at  the  old  Illinois  State  University.  In  1862,  about 
the  time  he  was  finishing  a  year's  school  teaching  in  Menard 
County,  he  responded  to  the  President's  call,  and  with  Dr.  B. 
F.  Farley  and  others,  organized  Company  K,  of  which  he 
was  unanimously  chosen  captain.  Captain  Steele  was  devoted 
to  the  cause  of  freedom,  and  lost  no  opportunity  to  aid  the 
down-trodden  of  the  colored  race.  His  bravery  was  unques- 
tioned, his  patriotism  undoubted,  and  had  he  remained  with  the 
regiment  until  the  days  of  battle,  would  doubtless  have  per- 
formed valiant  service.  His  impetuosity  and  contempt  for 
the  niceties  of  military  discipline  caused  him  to  leave  the  serv- 
ice in  the  spring  of  1863,  in  a  manner  greatly  regretted  by  all 
his  friends.  After  the  war  he  taught  school  at  Athens,  then 
at  Sweetwater,  in  the  same  county,  but  in  1876  retired  to  a 
farm,  and  is  now  residing  in  Farmer  City,  111.  He  is  an  elder 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  frequently  served  in  the 
synod  and  general  assembly. 

ALANSON  PIERCE,  Captain  ;  promoted  from  sergeant 
to  the  captaincy  March  3,  1863  ;  resigned  September  24,  1864. 
He  resided  some  years  at  Holliday,  111.,  and  is  reported  to  have 
removed  to  Springfield  in  1899. 


N.  B.  KINMAN, 

COMPANY  I. 
D.  A.  ENGLAND, 
COMPANY  K. 


CAPT.  C.  L.  KINMAN, 

COMPANY  I. 
F.  W.  GATES, 
COMPANY  K. 


COMPANY  K.  399 

PHILIP  RILEY,  Captain;  was  second  lieutenant  till  De- 
cember 28,  1863,  and  first  lieutenant  from  that  time  till  his 
promotion  to  the  captaincy,  September  24,  1864.  He  was  in 
command  of  a  detachment  of  the  pioneer  corps  in  the  Atlanta 
campaign,  and  served  a  time  on  brigade  staff.  His  history 
since  the  war  is  unknown  to  the  writer,  though  it  is  reported 
that  he  died  about  twenty-five  years  after  the  war. 

SYLVESTER  BAILEY,  First  Lieutenant,  was  a  brave  of- 
ficer, and  was  cheering  his  men  forward  in  the  first  charge 
in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  and  had  gone  perhaps  eighty 
yards  beyond  the  summit  of  Snodgrass  Hill,  when  he  was  so 
severely  wounded  as  to  disable  him  for  further  service.  He 
resigned  on  December  28,  1863.  After  the  war  he  resided 
some  time  at  Topeka,  Kan.,  and  then  at  Fort  Scott,  Kan., 
where  he  died  in  April,  1897. 

SAMUEL  C.  ALEXANDER,  First  Lieutenant;  promoted 
from  corporal  to  first  sergeant,  and  then  to  first  lieutenant  on 
September  24,  1864.  He  now  resides  at  Cantrall,  Sangamon 
county,  Illinois. 

SERGEANTS. 

EZRA  M.  AYLESWORTH,  First  Sergeant ;  a  son  of  Hi- 
ram and  Elizabeth  Aylesworth,  and  a  cousin  of  Col.  Elmer 
Ellsworth,  of  Alexandria  fame,  was  born  in  1830  in  Trumbull, 
Ashtabula  County,  Ohio,  where  he  received  a  public  school 
education.  He  was  a  man  of  good  literary  attainments  and 
wrote  well  both  in  prose  and  verse.  He  was  a  faithful  member 
of  the  Christian  Church,  zealous  in  support  of  all  he  deemed 
worthy,  patriotic  in  the  highest  degree,  and  enthusiastic  in 
the  discharge  of  all  his  duties  as  a  man  and  as  a  soldier.  He 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  company  K  February  5,  1863.  His 
ability,  familiarity  with  the  drills,  and  readiness  for  every  duty, 
soon  marked  him  for  promotion,  and  he  was  made  first  ser- 
geant. In  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  Sergeant  Aylesworth 
was  conspicuous  for  his  daring;  seeming  to  be  destitute  of 
fear,  he  was  constantly  leading  his  company,  instead  of  follow- 
ing, often  going  several  paces  in  front  of  the  line  of  battle  in 
order  to  get  a  good  aim.  During  the  lull  after  the  first  charge, 


400  COMPANY  K. 

while  searching  for  the  wounded  Lieutenant  Bailey,  he  cap- 
tured three  stalwart  Virginians,  who  were  too  busy  hunting 
valuables  among  our  dead  and  wounded  to  see  him  until  he 
had  the  drop  on  them.  Late  in  the  afternoon,  while  valiantly 
cheering  the  men  forward  and  when  at  least  ten  feet  in  front 
of  the  line,  he  received  the  shot  that  instantly  killed  him.  His 
body  was  left  on  the  field,  and  doubtless  now  lies  in  the  Na- 
tional Cemetery  at  Chattanooga,  marked  "unknown."  His 
only  child,  a  son  scarcely  three  years  old  at  that  time,  now  the 
Rev.  Barton  O.  Aylesworth,  D.  D.,  president  of  the  Colorado 
State  Agricultural  College  at  Fort  Collins,  Col.,  and  his  son, 
are  the  only  survivors  of  Sergeant  Aylesworth's  branch  of  the 
family. 

GEORGE  W.  SUMTER,  First  Sergeant ;  born  in  Athens, 
111.,  February  25,  1829.  His  uncle,  Thomas  Sumter,  fought 
in  the  Revolutionary  War  and  was  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown, 
and  saw  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis.  His  father,  Jeptha  Sum- 
ter, was  in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  He  was  partly  educated  in 
the  same  school  that  Abraham  Lincoln  attended.  He  learned 
the  brick-making  trade  in  Springfield,  111.,  and  afterwards 
worked  in  Terre  Haute,  Ind.  He  later  learned  the  wagon- 
maker's  trade  and  worked  for  a  while  in  Xew  Orleans,  then 
removed  to  St.  Louis,  and  then  to  Leavenworth,  Kan.,  where 
he  enlisted  in  a  regiment  of  mounted  riflemen,  and  crossed 
the  plains  to  California  in  1849  >  there  he  worked  at  mining  and 
the  carpenter  trade  until  1854,  when  he  came  to  Athens,  111. 
He  enlisted  with  Company  K  at  its  organization,  and  was 
with  the  regiment  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  and  its  other 
engagements.  Since  the  war  Sergeant  Sumter  has  had  a 
varied  career  in  business  of  different  sorts,  in  which  he  has 
made  considerable  success.  He  has  now  retired  from  busi- 
ness, and  resides  at  Hawley,  Minn. 

FRANK  W.  GATES,  who  was  private,  corporal,  and  later 
orderly  sergeant  of  Company  K,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  of 
German  and  English  descent,  and  came  with  his  parents  to 
Illinois  in  1855.  In  1862  he  left  a  young  wife  to  enter  the 
service  of  his  country,  and  after  three  years'  service,  returned 
to  his  home  to  engage  in  farming.  He  has  held  several  offices 


COMPANY  K.  401 

of  trust,  and  is  a  leading  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.    He  resides  near  Girard,  111. 

THOMAS  M'SHERRY;  discharged  February  14,  1863; 
resides  at  Nickerson,  Kan. 

JAMES  A.  WALTERS ;  reported  dead. 

WILLIAM  B.  ENGLAND;  killed  at  Chickamauga,  Sep- 
tember 20,  1863. 

DAVID  A.  ENGLAND;  resides  at  Williams,  Iowa. 

GEORGE  W.  HAYS;  resides  at  No.  1325  Edmonson 
street,  Baltimore,  Md. 

JOHN  WALKER ;  said  to  reside  at  or  near  Donithon, 
Neb. 

CORPORALS. 

JAMES  P.  MORAN;  died  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  December 
n,  1862. 

WILLIAM  F.  GIBBS;  discharged  January  4,  1863;  re- 
ported dead. 

JAMES  B.  STRODE;  killed  at  Chickamauga,  September 
20,  1863. 

WILLIAM  BAILEY;  died  at  Tullahoma,  Tenn.,  August 
31,  1863. 

GEORGE  W.  GOTHA ;   resides  at  Parsons,  Kan. 

JOHN  H.  HORNBACK;  reported  dead. 

SEBASTIAN  B.  SHEPHERD ;  resides  at  Athens,  111. 

JOHN  A.  STRODE;  discharged  April  20,  1863;  resides 
at  No.  913  North  Eighth  street,  Springfield,  111. 

JAMES  W.  SWARANGUIN  ;  discharged  March  28,  1864; 
reported  dead. 

WILLIAM  A.  WOOD;  discharged  July  30,  1863. 

WILLIAM  N.  BUMGARDNER;  died  in  Confederate 
prison  at  Danville,  Va.,  April  10,  1864. 

MUSICIAN. 

JOSEPH  SIZELOVE;  discharged  July  30,  1863;  resides 
at  Dodge  City,  Kan. 

WAGONER. 

FRANCIS  B.  ALDRIDGE ;  reported  dead. 


402  COMPANY  K. 

PRIVATES. 

ADAMS,  HENRY ;  no  report. 

ALLISON,  HUGH ;  resides  at  No.  491     E     street,  San 
Bernardino,  Cal. 

ALLISON,  JACOB  A. ;  was  a  prisoner  of  war ;  resides  at 
Howard,  Elk  County,  Kan. 

ALLISON,  JAMES  M. ;  transferred  to  engineer  corps  July 
1 8,  1864;  no  report. 

ANDERSON,  MILTON;  disabled  by  railroad  accident 
and  discharged ;  reported  as  residing  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 

ANSTICE,  EDWARD  V.;  discharged  January  25,  1864; 
resides  at  Athens,  111. 

BOYD,  WILLIAM  A. ;  now  resides  at  Foosland,  111. 

BRANNAN,  WILLIAM  ;  reported  residing  at  Davis  City, 
Iowa. 

BRIZENDINE,  JAMES  R. ;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve 
corps  December  28,  1864;  reported  dead. 

BURKE,  WILLIAM  ;  resides  at  Taylorville,  111. 

CENTER,  EDWARD  R. ;  died  in  prison  at  Andersonville, 
Ga.,  September  i,  1864;  grave  No.  7,502. 

CLARK,  TILMAN  H. ;  discharged  June  19,  1863;  died  at 
Athens,  111.,  May,  1864. 

CRANWELL,  THOMAS  S. ;  transferred  to  veteran  re- 
serve corps  December  28,  1864;  no  report. 

DENIEN,  DANIEL;  born  in  County  of  Cork,  Ireland, 
and  came  to  America  in  1849,  where  he  was  a  brick  mason 
until  1862.  He  enlisted  in  Company  K  at  its  organization, 
was  with  it  in  all  its  marches  and  battles,  and  returned  home 
without  having  received  a  wound.  He  now  resides  in  Shelby- 
ville,  111.,  and  has  a  family  of  sons  and  daughters,  all  nearly 
grown  and  doing  well. 

DODD,  KENDALL  B. ;  discharged,  date  unknown ;  no 
further  report. 

DURTNALL,  JOHN  ;  an  Englishman  of  good  family,  was 
visiting  in  the  United  States  at  the  time  the  ii5th  was  organ- 
ized. He  was  an  excellent  organist,  had  been  organist  in  a 
leading  church  at  Birmingham  :  was  an  expert  accountant, 


COMPANY  K.  403 

and  capable  business  man.  He  served  as  quartermaster's 
clerk  throughout  the  service  of  the  regiment  in  a  most  accept- 
able manner.  It  is  reported  that  he  returned  to  England  soon 
after  being  mustered  out. 

EDENS,  WILLIAM  B. ;  no  report. 

FERGUSON,  JOHN  A. ;  reported  to  have  died  at  Mason 
City,  111. 

FERGUSON,  JOHN  D. ;   no  report  since  muster  out. 

FERGUSON,  LEWIS  J. ;    died  in  Andersonville  prison, 
October  10,  1864;   grave  No.  10,740. 

FERGUSON,  WILLIAM;  died  at  Richmond,  Ky.,   De- 
cember 25,  1862. 

FIXFROCK,  ISAIAH;  discharged  February  28,  1863;  re- 
sides at  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

GAMBLE,  ANDREW;  no  report  since  muster  out. 

GLEESON,  MATTHEW ;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve 
corps  December  15,  1863;  resides  at  Cantrall,  111. 

HALL,  ANDREW  J. ;  was  a  prisoner  of  war ;  residence 
unknown. 

HARGIS,  THOMAS  J. ;   discharged  October  9,  1864;   re- 
sides at  Niantic,  111. 

HENDER,  PETER;    resides  at    No.  1006    South  Spring 
street,  Springfield,  111. 

HIDE,  WILLIAM  L. ;   died  at  Chattanooga.  October  10, 
1863,  of  wounds  received  at  Chickamauga. 

JACKSON,   CHARLES  C. ;  resides  at     Searcy,     White 
County,  Arkansas. 

JOB,  WILLIAM  ;  enlisted  January   12,   1865 ;  transferred 
to  2ist  Illinois;  no  further  report. 

JUDD,  NELSON  H. ;  discharged,  date  unknown ;  reported 
dead. 

MADDEN,  THOMAS ;  no  report  since  muster  out. 

MARSHALL,  SMITH  A. ;  died  at  Lexington,  Ky.,  No- 
vember 27,  1862. 

MEAGHER,     MICHAEL;  wounded  in  battle;  reported 
dead. 

MITCHELL,  JAMES ;  transferred  to  engineer  corps  July 
25,  1864;  no  further  report. 


404  COMPANY  K. 

MORGAN,  JOHN ;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve  corps 
December  15,  1863;  no  further  report. 

NEALE,  JOHN  W. ;  resides  at  Berlin,  111. 

NEALE,  SAMUEL;  reported  dead. 

NEWHART,  LAWRENCE;  died  at  Franklin,  Tenn., 
March  30,  1863. 

PICKERING,  THOMAS;  no  report  since  muster  out. 

PLUNKET,  JAMES  ;  discharged,  date  unknown  ;  reported 
dead. 

POLLOCK,  JAMES ;  is  a  successful  contractor  and  build- 
er at  Washingtton,  Kan. 

REYNOLDS,  JOHN  T. ;  died  November  17,  1889. 

RIEPE,  FREDERICK  ;  discharged  December  6,  1863  ;  no 
further  report. 

ROBERTS,  JAMES  R. ;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve 
corps  May  31,  1864;  resides  at  Minersville,  Cloud  County, 
Kan. 

SHEPPERD,  JAMES  M. ;  reported  dead. 

SHEPPERD,  OSCAR  F. ;  discharged  February  29,  1863 ; 
residence  not  known. 

SMITH,  WILLIAM  J. ;  in  Soldiers'  Home  at  Los  Angeles, 
Cal. 

TERRELL,  HENRY  S. ;  no  report  since  muster  out. 

THOMPSON,  DENNIS;  discharged  December  6,  1863; 
resides  at  Fancy  Prairie,  111. 

WALKER,  JOHN ;  no  report  since  muster  out. 

WALTERS,  WILLIAM  M. ;  resides  in  Menard  County, 
111. 

WATERHOUSE,  GEORGE  C. ;  transferred  to  veteran 
reserve  corps  January  15,  1864;  resides  at  New  Albany,  Ind. 

WELLS,  WILLIAM  ;  transferred  to  veteran  reserve  corps 
April  30,  1864  ;  no  further  report. 

WILSON,  WILLIAM  Me. ;  discharged  June  19,  1865 ; 
now  resides  at  Brentwood,  Ark. 

WINGO,  LEWIS ;  discharged,  date  unknown ;  reported 
dead. 


BURIED  IN  THE  NATIONAL 
Sharp,  Samuel  H  Co.  A  
Williams,  Wm.  B  "    A  

CEMETERY,  NASHVILLE,  TENN. 
Oied  Feb.  21,  1863  Gravp    896  S 

jc.  E. 
"    U. 
'     D. 
'     L. 
'     E. 
'     D. 
'     E. 
'     E. 
'     E. 
H. 
'     E. 
'     A. 
8orB 
E. 
E. 
J. 
E. 
E. 
E. 
E. 

N. 
c.  G. 
K. 
H. 
F. 
H. 
C. 
C. 
K. 
H. 
B. 
G. 
K. 
B. 
S. 
K. 
K. 
D. 
B. 
K. 
D. 
K. 
K. 
A. 

^. 

666 
10,740 
8,830 
8.464 
12,566 
i  this 

"     Mar.  4,  1863  .  . 
"      Apr.  6,  1863.... 
"      Jan.  23,  1863... 
Oct.  12,  1863... 
'      Nov.  19,  1863.. 
Apr.  3  1863. 

..     "     10,075  
..     "      3,376  
"         461 

Austin,  John  

"    B  

"    B 

Reese,  W  

"    B  

..     "      1,361  
3,477  

882.    .     . 

Travis,  H.  M  
Duty  M 

"    B  
"    C 

"    E  

Mar.  4,  1863  .  .  . 
Mar.  2,  1863  ... 
Feb.  1,  1865... 
Oct.  30,  1863... 
Nov.  29,  1863... 
'        Apr.  11,  1863  .. 
Oct.  10,  1863... 
Aug.  22,  1863.. 
May  31,1864... 
Mar.  28,  1863.. 
Mar.  31,  1864.. 
Mar.  28,  1863.. 
Mar.  4,  1863  .  .  . 

:METERY,  CHAT 

A  Gr 
D  

909  

DeAtley  A   H 

"    E 

312 

Green,  R.  L 

"    E 

9,405  ' 
1,061  
3,075  
527  

Clem,  H  

"    G  

Foster,  C.  B  

"    G  

Frizell,  J.  H  

...   .    '    G     

Stout,  Thos.  F  

..    .  .    '    G  

1,441  
1,256  
13834 

Sutton  B.  E 

'    G  .    ... 

Brighton   I    N 

'    H 

'    H 

380  .... 

Hig-gs    W.  H       ... 

"I. 

1,165  

450 

Jordan  H  B 

"    1 

Wilcox    John  R. 

"     T 

413  

BURIED  IN  THE  NATIONAL  CI 
Anderson,  Samuel  T  Co. 

TANOOGA,  TEN 

ave  8,582  S 
"        9  903 

4 

D  

'      10,706  

1 

D     . 

"        2  12? 

Clark,  Edwin,. 

A.              

"      10  551   

Cowgill,  E.  D  

1 

A  

1       1,121  

'        1  124   .. 

Dixson,  W  

D      

9,918  

C. 

10  506 

Hide,  Wm.  L  

K...                

898  

Huffman,  J  

F  

8,581  

D                       ... 

9  922     

Keep,  H.  N  

A.     

517  

Kellar,  Geo.  J  

H.. 

13  054 

D  

9,921   

McCune,  William  

A  

10,349  

McNear,  S.  A  

G  

12,076 

Messier,  Vincent  

A.  

1,015  

D  

9  900 

Reed,  D.,  Second  Lieute 
Tyson    G.  W.  ......    . 

F  

12885  

D. 

9  949 

Wallis,  John  

G     

10237 

White,  James  P  

R 

271  ... 

BURIED  IN  THE 
Carroll,  John  J  
Furgeson,  Lewis  J  

NATIONAL  CEMETERY,  ANDERSONVILLE,  Gl 
Co.  H  Died  Apr.  23,  1864  No. 
"     K  "      Sprit.  1.  1864  " 

Hill,  Aaron  

"     C  

"     Sept.  15.  18 

64  " 

"     B  .. 

"     Sept   10   18 

W                               «' 

Smith,  John  S 

.  .    "     T). 

•'    TiVh.  2   186=;                           .  .    •' 

There  are  889  graves  of  identified  soldiers  from  the  State  of   Illinois  ir 
cemetery,  but  only  five  of  the  115th  Illinois  Infantry. 
The  foregoing  lists  were  kindly  furnished  by  A.  B.  Leeper. 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBAN* 


